OPENING THE DOOR TO A JUST CONVERSATION: Ontario Election 2022 April 27, 2022 www.acto.ca

OPENING THE DOOR TO A
JUST CONVERSATION:
Ontario Election 2022

                        April 27, 2022
                        www.acto.ca

Overview

•   Ontario’s Community Legal Clinic System
•   Who are Renters
•   Challenges Facing Renters
•   5 Housing Policy Priorities for Ontario

WHO WE ARE
Organization: One of 70 + community legal clinics that
provide legal services to low income Ontarians.
Non profit corporation, funded by Legal Aid Ontario, that
is governed by an independent Board of Directors.

Vision: Safe, well maintained, secure, and affordable
housing for all Ontarians.

Mandate: ACTO works for the advancement of human
rights and justice in housing for low-income Ontarians
through legal advice & representation, law reform,
community organizing, training and education.

VULNERABILITY OF RENTERS
 The 2016 TDCP review found that:
    3 out of 4 of our clients were living in poverty
    2 out of 3 had histories of homelessness
    More than 1/3 identified that their household had at least one person
     with disability.
 The rising costs of housing increases risk of living in
  substandard housing or homelessness
 People with mental illnesses make up a disproportionately
  large percentage of those who are precariously housed or are
  homeless

PROBLEMS FACING RENTERS
HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
The CMHC threshold for housing affordability is 30% of gross income.
 82.5% of tenants in Ontario with incomes below $20,000 spend
  30% or more of their income on Shelter. Almost half spend 50% or
  more.
 Between 1991 and 2016, tenant household income increased by
  45%. However, average shelter cost has gone up by 80%.
 Investors (25% - including REITS) make up the highest segment of
  buyers over first time home buyers. (CBC, Nov 23, 2021)
 Average rent for new rentals was 43% (avg $2222) higher than the
  average market rent for all units. (CMHC Rental Report for 2021)

PROBLEMS FACING RENTERS
Why is Housing Unaffordable?
 60s to the early 90s expansion of housing fueled by
  government investments
 Lack of supply – Governments stopped building apartment
  buildings
 Vacancy Decontrol for empty units and post November 15,
  2018 units (reversal of 2017 policy)
 Rise of No Fault Evictions
    Renovictions, demovictions, landlord’s own use and purchaser’s own
     use
 Rise of Institutional Landlords (REITS)

PROBLEMS FACING RENTERS
ACCESS TO JUSTICE
 Province cut Legal Aid Ontario’s budget by 30% ($130 mill) in 2019
 Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) moving their services to digital
    No in-person hearings since March 2020 but Courts have reopened
    Hearings conducted through Zoom (Landlords use video and tenants use
     phones)
    Human rights concerns, barriers to access for tenants who have
     technological, numeracy, literacy, and language challenges
    Permanent decision post pandemic (November 2020)
    Significant delays for tenants (one year) and landlords (4 to 5 months)
    ACTO’s Digital Evictions Report (June 2021)
    OHRC’s Policy Statement (November 9, 2021) on human rights in COVID
     19 Recovery Planning recommended that the LTB should:
        provide tenants with clear and accessible options for in-person
         hearings in addition to digital hearings
        provide tenants with appropriate and timely access to counsel

Housing Policy Priorities for Ontario
1) Adopt innovative approaches to developing affordable
housing
   –   Improve inclusionary zoning policies
   –   Ensure affordability of housing developed using public resources
   –   Commit additional funds for social, co-op, and non profit housing
   –   More inclusionary zoning, limit exclusionary zoning
   –   Urban and Rural Indigenous Housing
       Strategy.

Housing Policy Priorities for Ontario
2) Improve access to justice for vulnerable tenants
   – Offer access to In-person services at the LTB
   – Restore the budget of Legal Aid Ontario to 2019 levels

Housing Policy Priorities for Ontario
3) Retain existing affordable rental housing
   – Provincial guidelines for the protection of rental housing stock
   – Eliminate vacancy decontrol

Housing Policy Priorities for Ontario
4) Improve security of tenure for tenants
   – Increase fines and provide more protections for renters to
     disincentivize no fault evictions.

5) Increase supports for low income tenant households
   – Increase funding for social services to meet increased housing
     costs
   – 7 permanent employer paid sick days and 14 employer paid sick
     days for health emergencies
   – Increase social assistance rates

Any Questions?

Contact Us

Website: https://www.acto.ca/
Twitter: @tenantadvocacy
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/TenantsAdvocacy