Tenants of 1270 and 1280 Wester Street, angered by eviction notices given in 2023.
The City of London has officially voted to move forward towards a bylaw, targeting landlords on renovations and unlawful evictions, now more commonly known as ‘renovictions.’
This comes following a 4-0 vote during a recent Community and Protective Services Committee meeting, where city councilors discussed the current framework for a new bylaw, looking to protect tenants and renters.
The term ‘renoviction’ began to gain traction last summer, when residents in the city’s east end were handed notices, telling them they were being evicted for larger-scale renovations.
“I see this as an epidemic in our city,” says Ward 13 Councilor, David Ferreira.
“It’s going unchecked and we need to bring it back into check. It’s resulting in a systematic drive to increase our rents and it’s unravelling a big chunk of the city’s societal fabric.”
While the city is now moving forward towards creating a due process for these specific situations, it may be coming too late for those who have already been affected, with new bylaws not being retroactive to help those who’ve already been evicted.
“Many of my residents and many of those in 1270 and 1280 Webster Street say they’ve frankly given up. They feel that they’re not getting ahead,” says Ward 3 Councilor, Peter Cuddy.
“We know it’s a city-wide problem and this bylaw is going to correct it at a city-wide level.”
The new bylaw would see the city work to disincentivise improper evictions in two main ways; requiring landlords to provide legal information and rights to tenants under the Residential Tenancies Act, as well as requiring them to purchase a $400 license when issuing notices for each unit being affected.
“It’s in our interests and the interests of our residents to look after everyone,” says Cuddy.
“This is solely for those people, for those landlords, that are only interested in making money as quickly as they can.”
Ferreira says the number of these cases have grown too high, changing the lives of too many across the city of London.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was in London to show support to tenants handed eviction notices in 2023.
“People are being systematically forced to leave their homes. Families are getting kicked out, then from their neighbours, then from their neighbourhoods, and then from their communities, sometimes the city itself. I’ve seen these cases again and again.”
He goes on to say that, while improper evictions gained a lot of attention last year, the practice is still continuing, with residents as recently as five weeks ago being given similar notices of eviction.
“The new owner and landlord is stating that the building is unfit to live in and they’re also stating that they pulled a demolition permit with the city,” says Ferreira.
“The issue is, that building is fine and there is no demolition permit pulled with the city, so I have seen these scare tactics again and again.”
One point raised was that these ‘renovictions’ don’t just affect those involved, with Ferreira adding that the bylaw is also being made to help those across the city who may be indirectly affected.
“It’s also built on the understanding that people need housing first and that renovictions, unaffordable rent, and homelessness are all three parts of that same multi-sided coin, so we are being very surgical and strategic with this license.”
Officials say the new bylaw would work to protect renters as well as limit the number of improper evictions, while not negatively affecting proper evictions for extensive and legitimate repairs.
The motion to move forward with plans passed unanimously, with a finalised plan set to be introduced to city council in September. The By-Law itself is still subject to change, but expected to be enacted in the first quarter of 2025 if it stays on its current schedule.
