This is the case for two neighboring buildings in the borough of York, north-west of the city. At 33 York Street, about 200 tenants are beginning their second month of rent strikes.
Beverley Henry has retired after more than 40 years of working in this country and is now in a situation where she must choose between paying my rent or buying me food.
Beverly Henry resides at 33 King Street, York.
Photo: Radio Canada / Andréane Williams
In Ontario, only units first rented prior to November 2018, like this one, are subject to rent control.
Ontario’s approved annual increase for 2023 and 2024 is 2.5%. An increase below the average annual inflation rate of 5.9% is being presented as a way to tackle the cost of living problem for Ontario residents, according to Housing Secretary Steve Clarke.
However, some landlords circumvent this limit by asking the province for permission to raise rents above the allowable limit.
Such is the case of Dream Impact, the company that owns 33 York Street, which filed applications with the Landlord and Tenant Board in 2018, 2019 and 2021 on the pretext of undertaking renovations. So far, only the 2018 application has been approved. While residents like Beverley Henry wait for the others, their rent has risen by 22%, or triple the allowable limit, in the last five years, the York South-Weston Tenants Association takes issue.
Bruno Dobrusin from the tenants’ association complains that applications to the commission are often about cosmetic renovations and no tenants are consulted. I do not have access to my balcony during the work. Why should I pay for something I don’t have access to? agrees Ms. Henry.
Even when the Ford government announced a rent freeze during the pandemic, unregulated rent increases continued, Bruno Dobrusin continues.
Bruno Dobrusin protests against rent inflation, which he describes as a long-standing problem.
Photo: Radio Canada
He is demanding that Dream Impact retrospectively cancel rent increases beyond the limits in place for 2019 and 2021. He also wants the Ford government to ban this kind of increase above the legal limit and put rent controls on all buildings.
In Annex No. 22, around 100 residents joined the fight by also not paying the July rent. The building is too new to be subject to rent control. As a result, Dream Impact, which also owns the company, has committed to annual increases of 7% to 10% since 2018, according to the association.
Dream Impact was unable to answer questions from Radio-Canada.
In addition to the situation of King Street residents, many of whom belong to a blue-collar community, Mr. Dobruzin wonders about the provincial authorities’ speeches on affordable housing.
“Whatever the government announces about a rent cap doesn’t apply to many of the buildings currently being bought and built in Ontario that are designed to solve the housing crisis. »
– A quote from Bruno Dobrusin, activist at the York South-Weston Tenants’ Association.
In addition, the legal increase of 2.5 percent is neither suitable for the residents nor for the owners, estimates the lawyer Caryma Sa’d, who specializes in housing construction. For tenants it is still a significant increase [tandis que] For landlords, market rents are rising so fast that 2.5% isn’t enough to boost profits.
However, Me Sa’d believes that action needs to be taken to curb profit-seeking in the real estate sector.
Caryma Sa’d is a Toronto attorney.
Photo: Radio Canada/Ken Townsend
“Housing is not a commodity comparable to anything, because everyone needs an apartment. »
– A quote from Caryma Sa’d, Housing Attorney
Beverley Henry agrees that the Ford administration is forgetting people like me who have worked all their lives and have a steady income. He doesn’t care about us, he cares about real estate developers.
With information from Andréane Williams.