Renovictions: Can new bylaws help protect Canada’s renters?

A new bylaw to prevent renovictions in Hamilton, Ont., is being celebrated by housing advocates who say bringing similar changes across the province — or nationwide — could help protect renters.

“This is huge, Canadians right now or at least Ontarians should be having a party,” Alejandra Ruiz Vargas with ACORN Canada told Global News in an interview.

ACORN’s Hamilton chapter was partly behind the push for the Hamilton by-law alongside some city councillors. The national organization is made up of low and middle-income community members advocating for housing changes, including rent control and funding for social housing.

The new legislation in the Ontario city forces property owners to apply for a special permit for their rental addresses at a cost of about $700 when seeking a provincial N-13 notice, which ends a tenancy due to a desire to demolish, repair or convert a rental unit.

The eviction and renovations, under the law, would only be able to take place if all building permits have been secured and an engineer’s report confirms vacancy is needed.

In addition, arrangements must be made with a tenant who wants to return after the renovations, and the bylaw says this includes providing them with temporary accommodations with both the rent and the unit itself being comparable to their current home.

Opponents of renovictions say they can be a method for some landlords to act in bad faith so they can get a current tenant out but then raise the rent exponentially for a new tenant.

Dale Whitmore with the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights said the process usually should see a landlord have the tenant leave so renovations and major repairs can be conducted. He said that in Ontario, tenancy will often end during the work but once