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TORONTO — The Ontario NDP's Housing and Tenants Rights critic Jessica Bell applauded Toronto City Council's decision to call on the province to ban residential evictions and provide an emergency rent subsidy — things the Ontario NDP has been fighting for.
"Thousands of people in Ontario are at risk of being thrown out of their homes, through no fault of their own, after losing income or their job due to COVID-19," Bell said. "Doug Ford has refused to unequivocally ban evictions, and he refuses to offer any help to people who struggle to pay the rent. That’s leaving tenants without homes, or with mounting debt.”
Toronto city council passed the motion in a near-unanimous vote Wednesday to implement a comprehensive moratorium on residential evictions, including the processing of applications, hearings, and enforcement.
The NDP has been critical of the Ford government baking in loopholes to a directive it issued last month, allowing evictions to continue at the discretion of the Landlord and Tenant Board, despite widespread complaints that virtual eviction hearings have been rife with procedural unfairness.
The NDP is further calling for rent subsidies for those who have lost income during the pandemic, giving tenants and landlords both the stability everyone needs during the pandemic.
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