A Niagara politician says it's time Ontario holds bad apple landlords accountable and protect residents from illegal evictions.
St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens another MPP have tabled a private member’s bill called 'Protecting Renters from Illegal Evictions Act, 2022' at Queen's Park today.
She says the focus of the bill is to hold bad landlords accountable and protect good tenants by closing loopholes that exploit and evict tenants - often seniors - across Niagara and Ontario.
"In Niagara, we are a community that has a lot of seniors and over the last few years, we are seeing a spike in evictions to reliable, long-term tenants - stranding our most vulnerable neighbours for no reason other than a quick profit,” said Stevens. “Being tossed into this rental market where we have limited affordable housing and high rent is often a recipe of homelessness,” said Stevens.
According to statistics from rental.ca, throughout the pandemic Niagara has seen a 25.5% increase in rent.
Stevens says that's led to an increase in aggressive evictions, often targeting long-term tenants, seniors and community members.