Renters grieve ‘death of affordable housing’ in Ontario at protest in Brampton

Housing advocates and renters from across Ontario will be coming to a protest and mock funeral in Brampton to mourn what they call “the death of affordable housing” in Ontario.

The protest action is being pushed by affordable housing group ACORN, which says data from Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) showed a nearly 300 per cent spike in landlord N13 claims.

The notices are issued when a landlord wishes to renovate or demolish a unit and wants to evict the tenant during construction. ACORN calls these N13s “renoviction” notices, saying the renovations often come with a rent increase, sometimes turning an affordable unit into something the tenant can no longer afford.

ACORN says the province has the power to stop the “killing spree” of affordable homes and is calling for provincewide rent control in Ontario, as well as vacancy control “to stop exorbitant rent increases on vacant units.”

The group also says the province needs to scrap Above Guideline Rent Increases (AGIs) which can allow a landlord to increase a tenant’s rent higher than the provincially-set 3 per cent.

“AGIs, renovictions and demovictions should be illegal, landlords are stealing from tenants,” ACORN leader April Johnston said in a statement. “These are forcing people out, taking away the right to housing from people.”

Johnston said there is also a “ripple effect” of tenants needing to work multiple jobs to afford a home while “landlords are getting richer.”

“If we don’t have full rent control, many people will land up being homeless, including myself,” Johnston said.

The protest action will take place on April 18 at 507 Balmoral Drive in Brampton.

Between 2017 and August 2023, 112 N13 or ‘renoviction’ notices were issued in Brampton and 68 were issued in Mississauga. The most notices were issued in Toronto (950), Hamilton (337) and Ottawa (184).