NDP: Ombudsman’s report paints a damning picture of unfairness and injustice at Landlord & Tenant Board

“A system that isn’t working for anyone”

QUEEN’S PARK – Official Opposition NDP Critics for Housing MPP Jessica Bell (University – Rosedale) and Attorney General MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam (Toronto Centre) made the following remarks in response to the Ontario Ombudsman’s latest report Administrative Justice Delayed, Fairness Denied on the current state of crisis in the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB):

“We have known for years the Landlord Tenant Board has been failing to quickly resolve disputes between landlords and tenants, and this has made life very difficult for thousands of Ontarians,” said Bell. “This damning report should be a wake-up call for the Ford government. They have had five years to fix this mess, and things are only getting worse.

Ontarians are suffering unnecessarily in a system that is not working for anyone. We need to increase the number of adjudicators so everyone can receive a fair and timely hearing. The LTB must be able to meet its own standards of providing people with a hearing date within 30 days of applying.

It is shameful that tenants are waiting up to three times longer than landlords for a hearing at the Landlord Tenant Board. This is discrimination, and we urge the Conservatives to immediately step in and fix this injustice.”

“This scathing and pivotal report has stories coming from Ontarians suffering from a system that has been in demise for quite some time,” said Wong-Tam. “People are languishing in the system for months and even years, waiting for access to justice.

The Ford government needs to admit that there is a problem. This report paints a clear and damning picture of the crisis, and this government needs to acknowledge the problem and provide a detailed plan with committed timelines that relieves Ontarians from the misery of being stuck in this system.

As soon as they came into power, the Ford government stopped renewing the appointments of qualified adjudicators who had years of experience and expertise and destabilized the system. The pandemic made things worse in a system that was already failing.

People have lost the life they deserve, work for, and aspire to, waiting for this system to work. This report provides a clear roadmap, and it is the government’s responsibility to carefully consider its findings, and urgently make sure that Ontarians are no longer being denied access to justice and fairness.”