Committee votes to move forward with development of Kitchener renoviction bylaw

After a long night of discussions, a Kitchener committee voted to move forward with plans to create a bylaw targeting renovictions.

Protestors gathered outside Kitchener City Hall for the Planning and Strategic Initiative Committee meeting on Monday night. The group called on the committee to commit to developing a renovictions bylaw, despite a recommendation from staff not to do so. They held signs with slogans such as ‘Bylaw or Bye-Bye!’ and ‘We aren’t moving. No renoviction.’

Inside city hall, delegates were emotional as they tried to convince committee members to back the potential bylaw.

“It’s like living in your worst nightmare, thinking I could lose my home,” delegate Linda Vos said. “I can see fear in my neighbours’ eyes, and I can hear it in their voices. Some of them [have been] tenants for upwards of 40 years.”

The delegates urged the committee to follow the lead of other cities like Hamilton, Toronto and London.

Under Hamilton’s Renoviction Licence and Relocation Bylaw, landlords who issue a N-13 eviction notice are required to submit an application with the city before any renovation work can begin. If a tenant is required to leave their unit during the renovation and plans to return to that same unit once the work is complete, the landlord must provide temporary arrangements that are comparable to the tenant’s current unit or give the tenant compensation in lieu.

Some delegates wanted to see Kitchener take the same approach.

“What makes Kitchener different?” asked delegate Elliot Wand. “Why don’t we enjoy these same protections? Why don’t we enjoy those same rights?”

What does city staff recommend?

In a report presented to the committee, staff said the city does not have the mandate, funding, staff, expertise or other resources to provide an effective evictions prevention and tenant support system. They also do not have legal expertise in the area. Instead, they suggested the Region of Waterloo or the province is better suited to address the issue.

The report noted renovictions were not the only reason tenants may be in a precarious housing position.

“The goal of these actions is to support tenants and landlords, and prevent unlawful evictions of all types, rather than focussing on evictions due to renovations,” it stated.

City staff said tenants also need a greater understanding of their rights and better access to information on community resources.

Still, multiple committee members suggested exploring the option of a new bylaw, saying they were moved by the comments from delegates.

“We all have heard from many people who feel the bylaw is the sign of hope that they need,” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.

“Let’s give it a shot, let’s try it out and see how it goes,” said Ayo Owodunni, Councillor for Ward 5.

Six committee members voted in favour of developing a bylaw, three voted against the idea and two abstained from voting due to possible conflicts of interest.

The decision will have to be ratified in a future council meeting. Vrbanovic said he also wanted to get some clarification from staff on timelines for crafting the bylaw.

- With reporting by Krista Simpson and Jeff Pickel