Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles made a stop in Peterborough today to talk rising housing costs and the effects of the Ford government’s Bill 60, dubbed the “Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act.”
The province says Bill 60 would give the minister authority to make “faster and more strategic decisions” intended to boost housing supply but has received criticism over it’s effect on the Residential Tenancies Act.
If approved, Bill 60 would cut the timeframe for tenants to appeal Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) decisions, restrict their ability to introduce new issues, and reduce the non-payment grace period from 14 days to seven.
On the municipal level, taxpayers will continue to pay more for services that the province downloads onto the municipality.
The Ontario NDP leader’s visit comes just four days after the release of United Way’s Housing Is Fundamental report, which details that Peterborough saw a rent increase of 6.7 per cent over the last year for a two-bed unit, among other findings.
During Friday’s community table, Stiles says local worry stems mostly from seniors.
Stiles went on to say it’s expected that Bill 60 will be brought to a vote on Monday, where the Ontario NDP will forward a motion to force a debate to enact more controls.
Stiles says the Opposition Day motion calls for what she describes as “real rent control,” arguing the province must restore protections scrapped by the Ford government in 2018.
She says the proposal would cap increases for sitting tenants and introduce vacancy control so landlords can’t impose what she calls “outrageous” hikes when a unit turns over. Stiles adds the goal is to curb rent growth that she argues is outpacing wage gains and worsening affordability across the province.
(Written by: Noah Lorusso)
