Over the past year, we have seen a rise in Rental Demolition & Replacement applications at the City of Toronto, and in particular in Toronto Centre. Hearing that an application has been submitted for your home to be demolished and replaced is extremely stressful.
The City of Toronto recognizes that protecting the existing rental housing stock is incredibly important to ensure renting is an attainable housing option for residents, especially seniors, students and families.
Unfortunately, the City cannot refuse a development application on the basis of hardship to existing tenants under Provincial law. While there are tenant protections under the Residential Tenancies Act, the City felt they were inadequate to deal with the magnitude of rental housing stock under threat in Toronto. As such, the City created protections in the City’s Official Plan under our Housing policies and as permitted within the confines of the City of Toronto Act (Section 111).
Join me on Monday, April 15 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Wellesley Community Centre to learn more about our Rental Demolition & Replacement process from City Staff, how our policy has evolved over time, steps I've taken to address the gaps in the Tenant Assistance and Relocation Package secured by the City, what advocacy is being done at the provincial level by our MPP Wong-Tam, and what your rights are as a tenant.