The city is warning that its rental replacement policy, designed to ensure that tenants in older apartment buildings torn down for condos get comparable units at similar rents, is in danger of being weakened by the province.
, 海角社区官网staff outline concerns with provincial which gives the minster of Municipal Affairs and Housing the power to 鈥渇undamentally change the city鈥檚 current rental replacement practices.鈥
introduced in 2007, developers that plan to demolish rental buildings of more than six units must replace existing apartments for tenants, at the same size, and provide similar rents for at least 10 years.
Possible changes raise 鈥渁 level of uncertainty鈥 and cause a 鈥渓ot of anxiety鈥 for tenants, said Deanna Chorney, the city鈥檚 manager of policy and strategic initiatives, policy and analysis, in an interview.
Megan Kee, a tenant at 55 Brownlow Ave., a midtown building that is to tear it down and build condos, said making it easier to remove affordable housing 鈥渕akes absolutely no sense.鈥
鈥淔or Bill 97 to be quite ambiguous about exactly what those changes are and to weaken the existing laws in 海角社区官网is terrifying,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e already not enough for tenants.鈥
According to the report, the city鈥檚 current policy has secured the replacement of about 5,000 rental units.
In an emailed statement to the Star, provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing spokesperson Melissa Diakoumeas said the government is 鈥渆xploring any and all ways to increase housing supply of all types.鈥
鈥淭he changes proposed as part of the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act would help enable the province to create a balanced framework governing municipal rental replacement bylaws that streamlines the construction and revitalization of rental housing, while protecting tenants,鈥 she said.
鈥淔or example we are exploring a framework where a municipality could require that replacement units have the same core features (i.e., same number of bedrooms) as they did previously, and requiring that tenants are given the right of first refusal to the new unit at similar rent.鈥
The province is also seeking input on potential regulations for rental replacement across all municipalities, posting a proposal on its for consultation by May 21.
In response, the city report raises fears that new potential regulations would allow replacement units to be smaller, limit the city鈥檚 ability to restrict rents, reduce compensation tenants receive while waiting to move back in, allow developers to provide cash instead of new units, and/or create a new definition of affordable housing.
鈥淭hat should not happen,鈥 said Patti Pokorchak, a longtime tenant at 230 Lake Promenade, one of a cluster of Etobicoke buildings under a
鈥淵ou鈥檙e displacing about 1,000 to 2,000 people,鈥 she added. 鈥淚 think that for disrupting our lives there should be compensation.鈥
Applications for such projects have been increasing in Toronto, and there are currently 73 that propose demolishing 3,440 existing rental units. for demolition and conversion has also climbed, from 332 in 2018, to 867 in 2022, according to the city鈥檚 website.
With average of rents over $3,000 a month, losing an apartment can mean more than having to move, Kee said.
鈥淧eople have nowhere to go, people are going to be forced out.鈥
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