Thousands of tenants march to Queen’s Park to protest Bill 60 on National Housing Day

CP24's Andrew Brennan with the latest details from demonstrators and the concerns around tenant rights.

Thousands of tenants filled downtown streets Saturday, marching to Queen’s Park to demand the Ontario government withdraw Bill 60, a package of proposed housing changes they say will accelerate evictions across the province.

The demonstration comes days after more than 100 organizations warned the Ford government that Bill 60 would worsen homelessness by stripping away core tenant protections at a time of rising living costs and unstable work.

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

That open letter, signed by 132 groups, including legal clinics, unions, food banks, shelters and student unions, argued that the legislation would remove key discretion from Landlord and Tenant Board adjudicators when ruling on eviction cases.

Earlier this month, Toronto City Council voted to oppose the bill after Mayor Olivia Chow said it would make it easier for landlords to evict renters and “cut renters’ rights.”

• Toronto council backs Olivia Chow’s motion opposing Ontario bill she says would ease evictions

What is Bill 60?

The proposed Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, commonly referred to as Bill 60, includes a series of reforms affecting landlord-tenant disputes.

Under the bill, tenants would be required to give advance notice of any issues they plan to raise at a hearing and would be barred from introducing new issues without warning — a change the province says is meant to reduce adjournments.

The government also wants to remove mandatory compensation for tenants when landlords take back their units for personal use, as long as two months’ notice is provided. If less than two months’ notice is given, landlords would still have to offer one month’s rent or a comparable unit.

Other changes include shortening the grace period for non-payment of rent from 14 to seven days and cutting the period to request a review of a final order from 30 days to 15.

While the province recently backtracked on its proposal to consult on long-term security-of-tenure changes, the rest of the eviction-related provisions remain in the legislation.

It should be noted that a spokesperson for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing recently told CTV News Toronto that the bill “restores balance and rebuilds confidence in Ontario’s rental housing market by protecting responsible tenants,” adding it will hold repeat abusers of the system accountable.

What is the message from demonstrators?

At Saturday’s protest, Sharlene Henry, co-chair of the York South-Weston Tenant Union, told CP24 the legislation poses a direct threat to renters across the province.

“We need to stand up to the Ford government and ask them to kill Bill 60,” she said. “Bill 60 is an erosion of tenant rights and all tenants in Ontario.”

“With the introduction of Bill 60, we’re looking at mass evictions, and we’re looking at a blacklist where folks like myself, who went on a rent strike, could be on that list as someone who’s a bad tenant, even though I uphold my tenancy and my lease.”

When asked what she would say to the premier if given the opportunity, she said:

“Landlords are in your pocket, sir, and you need to take them out and listen to the tenants. We are about 50 per cent of Ontario residents, and we deserve a seat at the table.”

Tenants began gathering at 11 a.m. outside the headquarters of the Federation of Rental Housing Providers before marching to the legislature for a mid-day rally featuring speakers from tenant groups, unhoused organizations and legal clinics.

The demonstration coincided with National Housing Day.