This week the Housing and Planning Committee discussed a proposed Renoviction By Law to enact more safeguards for tenants who face renovictions. This is the term used when landlords serve tenants with eviction notices on the grounds that repairs are needed which cannot be carried when a tenant is living on site. This is happening at an increasing rate, is often not in accordance with protections in the current Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, and puts many tenants at risk.
Renovictions are occurring all over the city of Ottawa, including here in Bay Ward. Recently, tenants of Aspen Towers on Richmond Road were sent notices that they had to vacate their units because renovations were going to be done to their units. There was no information on the scope of the renovations and it made little sense to evict the entire building on changes to individual units.
Many of you have written to me to express your concerns about renovictions, and your support for the City to take whatever measures it can to increase tenant rights to security of housing. I share your concern, and I agree that bold action is needed.
Cities often face the trickle-down effect of failures at other levels of government to take responsibility for issues under their jurisdiction. Tenant protections, including safeguards against illegal and unnecessary evictions; rent controls; and funding for affordable housing are provincial responsibilities that have been neglected by the provincial government.
Bill 97, “Helping Homeowners, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023”, has been approved but not as yet enforced by the province. If this Bill were to be enforced, Ontario tenants would have much stronger protections against unfair and illegal evictions, including rights to return to their homes at the same rent rate following repairs, and compensation for the costs incurred while displaced during renovations.
In response to the Province’s unwillingness to act on Bill 97, at least three Ontario municipalities, London, Hamilton and Toronto, are moving forward on Renoviction ByLaws in 2025.
At this week’s Planning and Housing Committee, we were presented with a staff report recommending that the financial and legal implications of a Renoviction ByLaw be further researched before proceeding with an Ottawa By Law. After concerted and thorough discussion, Planning and Housing Committee passed two motions.
The first motion calls on the Province to:
- immediately proclaim into force the tenant protections in the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, that were passed in June 2023 through Bill 97 to prevent illegal evictions,
- provide added funding for legal clinics and tenant education which support tenants and help prevent illegal evictions;
The second motion will:
- direct City staff to conduct a by-law review for development of a Renovictions By Law informed by the Hamilton, London and Toronto experience of their By Law implementation and monitor the learnings which come out of the first year of these byLaws. This will take precedence over other items on this year’s work plan.
While I am disappointed that we are not moving forward with an Ottawa Renoviction By Law immediately, I am pleased that there was broad support for moving forward on this file, and I have confidence that we will be in a stronger position to better support tenants rights after these preparations are completed.
I encourage you to reach out to your MPP to express your views and support for strong and immediate action to implement Bill 97 and the improved tenant protections it will enshrine in law.
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