Nearly half of Toronto households rent their homes. Renters are an essential part of every neighbourhood in our city, including right here in Don Valley North.

But too many tenants are dealing with rising costs, poor building maintenance, uncertainty when their building is redeveloped, and a provincial system that too often leaves them waiting for help.

I believe the City has a responsibility to use every tool available to protect renters, hold landlords accountable and make sure that as Toronto grows, the people who already call our communities home are not left behind.

MY RECORD

Holding landlords accountable

I have pushed for stronger enforcement of apartment building standards through RentSafeTO. After hearing directly from renters at our Tenant Town Hall, I supported stronger inspections and enforcement and a new colour-coded rating system that makes it easier to see how buildings are performing.

Just as importantly, when landlords repeatedly fail to address serious problems, the City needs the tools to step in and get the work done.

Protecting tenants from renovictions

Toronto’s new Renovictions Bylaw puts stronger rules around renovations that require tenants to leave their homes. Landlords must obtain a City license, provide information to tenants and meet new requirements around temporary accommodation, rent-gap payments or compensation.

I supported these protections because renovations should never be used as a back door to push tenants out of their homes.

Protecting renters when buildings are redeveloped

Toronto needs more housing, but we should not create it by abandoning the people who already live here.

I have supported strong rental replacement requirements when existing apartment buildings are redeveloped, including replacing rental homes, protecting affordable rents, providing relocation assistance and giving eligible existing tenants the opportunity to return.

Growth has to come with protections for the people affected by it.

Making apartments safer during extreme heat

In 2023, I asked City staff to begin work on stronger protections for tenants during extreme heat. As our summers get hotter, residents of older apartment buildings should not be left living in dangerously hot homes.

That work has continued at City Hall toward a maximum indoor temperature requirement for rental housing.

Helping renters find affordable housing

Finding an affordable rental should not mean navigating building after building and application after application. I supported the City’s move toward a centralized application system for affordable rental housing, making the process simpler and more transparent for residents.

I have also supported City investments that preserve existing affordable rental housing and keep those homes affordable over the long term.

WHAT COMES NEXT

There is more work to do.

Stronger enforcement for problem landlords. I will continue pushing for a RentSafeTO system that identifies problems earlier, responds faster and has meaningful consequences when landlords repeatedly fail to maintain their buildings.

Protect renters when redevelopment happens. I will continue to defend Toronto’s rental replacement policies and push for strong relocation assistance, meaningful tenant involvement and protections that give residents a real opportunity to remain in their community.

Preserve the affordable rental homes we already have. Building new housing matters, but so does protecting existing affordable housing. I will continue supporting City programs that allow non-profit and community housing providers to acquire rental properties and preserve them as affordable homes.

Keep fighting renovictions. Toronto must rigorously enforce its new Renovictions Bylaw and make sure landlords cannot misuse renovations to displace long-term tenants.

Make rental buildings safer and more comfortable. I will continue the work I started on extreme heat protections and push for stronger standards for the basic conditions tenants should be able to expect in their homes.

Make sure tenants have a voice. Whether we are dealing with redevelopment, building conditions or changes to City housing policy, renters deserve to be part of the conversation before decisions are made, not after.

A CITY THAT WORKS FOR RENTERS

Toronto cannot remain affordable if people who rent here cannot afford to stay here.

We need to build more homes, but we also need to protect the affordable homes we already have, enforce basic standards and make sure tenants are treated fairly when their buildings change.

I will keep working with renters across Don Valley North to make sure they have a strong voice at City Hall and that Toronto remains a city where people can afford to put down roots.