More people will struggle to be housed in Ontario if Bill 60 is passed, open letter warns

Rentals.ca's report shows renters who spend over half of their income are more likely to experience longer search times, higher frustration, and consider moving cities. A rental sign is seen outside a building in Ottawa, Thursday, April 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

A proposed bill by the Doug Ford government will worsen homelessness in Ontario by eroding essential tenant rights amid a rising cost of living and unstable job market, an open letter by a group of housing rights organization says.

The letter signed by over 100 organizations was published on Monday. It urges the government to repeal parts of Bill 60, the “Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act,” which the province proposed in late October.

The open letter states the bill will expedite evictions by giving tenants less time and fewer means to pay rental arrears. It will also make it more difficult for tenants to dispute an eviction application or appeal an eviction decision, it added.

The letter, signed by the 132 organizations, including student unions, shelters, legal clinics, unions and foodbanks, goes on to state the legislation would remove discretion from adjudicators at the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) to consider a tenant’s circumstances before ruling on an eviction order.

“The largest contributor to homelessness in Ontario is the province’s own policies — not mental health or addiction, as the Ford government has purported, but rather the systematic erosion of tenant protections, human rights, and affordability across Ontario,” the organizations said in their letter.

“They have done this without ever consulting with tenants and homeless people — including on the provisions of Bill 60, which have been solely shaped by landlord and developer lobbyists. Bill 60 will grow homelessness and encampments and undermine the right to housing."

Ford government officials have previously said that Bill 60 is meant to attract more landlords into the market by making rental rules more flexible.

In an email to CTV News Toronto on Monday, a spokesperson for Housing Minister Rob Flack said the bill “restores balance and rebuilds confidence in Ontario’s rental housing market by protecting responsible tenants,” adding that those who repeatedly abuse the system will be held accountable.

“It also ensures families who depend on rental income are able to pay their mortgages, property taxes, and utility bills that keeps more rental homes available - protecting the long-term stability of Ontario’s rental housing supply,” the spokesperson said.

The Ontario government had previously proposed consultations as part of Bill 60 to end the right of tenants to continue a month-to-month lease once a fixed-term lease ends, which advocates say protects people from evictions. The government, however, scrapped the controversial plan in late October after an uproar from organizations and municipalities.

The organizations added in their open letter on Monday that on Nov. 5, the Ford government put forward a motion to by-pass public hearings on the controversial bill, which would prevent tenants, people who are homeless, municipalities, and organizations from providing feedback.

“This is wildly anti-democratic,” the organizations stated. “Millions of Ontarians are tenants, which makes Bill 60’s egregious impacts on rental protections and lack of consultation an issue that cannot be ignored.”

The letter stated that 81,000 residents in the province are homeless, and as many as 300,000 are projected to become homeless in the next ten years.

The organizations say they are asking the government to repeal Schedule 12 of Bill 60 and engage in meaningful consultation with tenants and tenant advocacy organizations on any provincial housing policies that would impact residents.