NDP will make rents affordable, build a livable city for families

TORONTO – Andrea Horwath announced Thursday a suite of actions to make housing in Toronto more affordable, including introducing stronger tenant protection and rent controls.

“The GTHA is a world-class region, and I want to make sure it’s livable for those who want to live, work and raise their family here,” said Horwath.

“The reality is that life is becoming unaffordable for too many families. Kathleen Wynne sat back and watched rental prices spin out of control, and withheld funding while affordable and social housing stock crumbled. And with Doug Ford’s vow to make more than $6 billion in cuts, it’ clear that he would only make things much worse for those who need life to be more affordable.”

Joined by Torontonians and City Councillors, Horwath said an NDP government would implement a number of measures to make sure every family can find safe, affordable housing.

An NDP government will update Ontario’s Rental Tenancies Act to provide:

• Effective, reasonable rent controls that limit the use of above guideline increases, and crack down on ‘renovictions’
• A rent registry so tenants know how much a landlord has charged in the past
• Protections for renters who pay their rents and abide by their agreements
• Updated rules that recognize changing rental markets

Other measures the NDP will take to ensure housing in Ontario is affordable for everyone include:

• Signing on to the National Housing Strategy and building 65,000 new affordable housing units, with a focus on not-for-profit and co-op housing
• Maintaining rent-geared-to-income and rent supplements for people that need extra support
• Working in collaboration with business to spur investment in new, purpose-built rental buildings