Ford must address housing crisis: NDP MPP

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP MPP for York South—Weston Faisal Hassan pressed the Ford government to specify how it plans to address Ontario’s housing crisis, pointing to struggles faced by tenants in his community.

“Constitutents like Sharlene Henry, who moved into a building at 33 King St. almost 20 years ago and wishes she could afford a bigger space, feel stuck, unable to afford to move or to stay due to staggering above-guideline rent increases and soaring rental prices,” Hassan said.

Recent reporting in the Star shows that tenants of 33 King for more than a decade faced average rent increases of 28 per cent. If the apartment changed hands in that period, the average shoots up to 73 per cent.

“The Ford government cancelled rent control on new units, and has done nothing to address the housing crisis hurting families across Ontario,” said Hassan. “Ontarians deserve a government that fights for them, ensuring protections for renters and an affordable place to live for all, whether renting or buying.”

The Ontario NDP has a plan to make rent affordable, including bringing in rent control on all units and rent control between tenants, and cracking down on landlords who exploit loopholes in the law to seek unfair ‘renovictions’ and bad faith ‘landlord’s own use’ evictions, as well as above-guideline rent increases for unnecessary repairs or renovations.