NDP: London renters need urgent protection from bad faith evictions

QUEEN’S PARK – NDP MPPs Teresa Armstrong (London-Fanshawe) and Terence Kernaghan (London North Centre) brought solutions to the Ford government today, urging them to immediately strengthen protections for renters across Ontario.

Last week, London residents at 1270 and 1280 Webster Street received notices claiming they need to be evicted for renovations, a predatory practice called ‘renoviction’.

“The stress facing residents at Webster Street is absolutely unconscionable,”said Kernaghan. “One resident was given an eviction notice on her 83rd birthday. Another 72-year-old widow fears becoming homeless. I call on the government to stand up for seniors, renters, and those at risk of homelessness by taking immediate action to strengthen renter protections and protect these tenants.”

Last week, the Ontario Ombudsman delivered a scathing report of the Landlord Tenant Board, which should give renters and landlords a fair chance at justice in 30 days or less. Instead, landlords are waiting an average of six to nine months for a hearing, while renters are waiting an average of two years.

“Londoners, and people across Ontario need real action and real protections against bad faith evictions,” said Armstrong. “Many of the residents at Webster Street are on a fixed income and cannot afford the out-of-control costs of living. They risk serious hardship, through no fault of their own, and this government is not taking serious steps to help.”

In 2022, NDP MPPs tabled a bill to protect renters from illegal evictions, with measures that would help protect renters just like the ones at Webster Street. The bill includes calls to:

• Give the Landlord Tenant Board more ability to go after bad-faith eviction notices
• Require legal help for tenants like the ones at Webster
• Strengthen the amount of supporting documentation a landlord needs to provide renters
• Just last month, Ford’s Conservatives voted against an NDP motion for real rent control.

“The Ford Conservatives are out of touch with the urgent stress facing London renters, and others in similar situations across the province,” said Armstrong. “The Ontario NDP is committed to tabling solutions that will bring protections to renters, for the short and long term. For the residents of Webster Street, there isn’t a moment to waste.”