July 16th, 2020

Alarming that Ford will allow residential evictions to resume in midst of pandemic: NDP

QUEEN'S PARK — NDP Tenant Rights critic Suze Morrison said it is alarming that Doug Ford is allowing the sheriff to enforce tenant evictions again come Aug. 1, in the midst of a pandemic.

"The financial struggle that countless people are dealing with due to COVID-19 is far from over — so many have lost jobs and wages — yet the Ford government is preparing to allow tenants to be thrown out of their homes starting in a few weeks," Morrison said.

On July 6, the Superior Court of Justice order that had suspended residential evictions was amended so that the suspension ends at the end of month in which the state of emergency is terminated.

The Ford government has said that the state of emergency is to end July 24, meaning evictions can begin starting Aug. 1.

"For the vast majority of tenants, it’s through no fault of their own if they’re behind on rent," Morrison said. "Ford must extend the ban on evictions, and actually enforce it. Otherwise, he's allowing people to be thrown into the street while we’re still in a pandemic.”