Questions for Local Candidates
About Housing & Tenants Rights
1. Fair rules for all renters.
Rents for most tenants can only rise by the annual guideline percentage, which is
based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index and capped at 2.5%. However, over
50,000 tenant households are vulnerable to higher, unaffordable rent increases with no
limit, simply because they live in ‘newer’ units. This number grows larger each year. All
tenants, regardless of when their homes were built, should have the same rent
protections.
Will your party commit to closing the rent regulation loophole and ensure all
renters are protected by the rent increase guideline?
2. Getting the homes we pay for.
Tenants pay rent every month, and have the right to live in homes that are in a good
state of repair. If landlords don’t complete ordered maintenance or repairs, they should
not be permitted to use the legal system to collect rent or evict their tenants until they
comply. Both tenants and landlords need certainty: the law should set out clear
minimums for rent refunds for the loss of services and disrepair.
Will your party ensure that tenants get the well-maintained homes we pay for?
Will your party make changes to the law so that landlords complete ordered
maintenance and provide fair refunds for loss of services and disrepair?
3. Revitalize and support social housing communities.
We all want to live in vibrant, healthy neighbourhoods that we can be proud to call
home. But many of our social housing communities face severe problems of lack of
repair and maintenance. And, there simply isn’t enough housing that is affordable for
Ontarians living on low-incomes. It’s time that we develop a permanent made-inOntario funding and financing program to repair these valuable public assets, build
more homes and provide supports to those tenants who need them.
Will your party launch a made-in-Ontario program to create new social housing,
provide supports to tenants, and ensure our existing social housing
communities are in good repair?
4. Build inclusive neighbourhoods.
We all benefit from mixed-income communities. Unfortunately, as residential
development is booming across Ontario, cities are becoming increasingly segregated
by income. Many of the people who work in our cities can’t afford to live there. We need
housing policies that require all new developments to include units affordable to low
and moderate income Ontarians.
Will your party introduce inclusionary housing legislation and policies to create
new affordable housing in all new developments?
For more information see: www.acto.ca