We have less than 2 weeks remaining before the federal election on October 14, 2008. Many tenants in Beaches-East York are struggling to make ends meet due to rising unemployment and underemployment. We are about to experience a huge leap in our overall cost of living due to the downturn in the global economy. This means many tenants will find it even harder to pay market rents as the present economic crisis deepens. So why isn’t the issue of ‘affordable housing’ addressed by the candidates? Is it because ‘tenants are invisible’?
A closer look at the housing system put in place by the federal government provides clues as to why the tenant population has become invisible. Several decades ago the federal government put in place a housing program that distanced them from the thorny issue of ‘affordable housing’ for renters. The program focused more on the private market and the ownership sector. The responsibility for the rental market sector was downloaded to the provincial and municipal governments but that responsibility is limited to the enforcement of housing standards and regulations. Hence, the various adaptations of Landlord and Tenant legislation that have become the Residential Tenancies Act. Private investors, developers and landlords have the greatest impact on whether there is a sufficient level of ‘affordable housing’ and it is federal government housing policy that has facilitated this. Private investors, developers and landlords are there to realize mega profits.
The federal government needs to revisit the national housing policy and design a system that addresses this issue so tenants can cope in the anticipated difficult economic times. We also have to keep in mind that, in the near future, the need for ‘affordable housing’ will be greater due to the increased number of retirees on fixed income seeking rental housing. In the absence of a workable system to address the lack of ‘affordable housing’ the federal government should consider granting meaningful tax breaks to better correlate rental costs with the income of tenants.
Once again the East York Tenants Group invite you to take a close look at the platforms of the candidates running in Beaches-East York. Look at the candidates who see ‘affordable housing’ as a priority. Remember, tenants constitute a large segment of the household population of Beaches-East York. While critical issues such as the state of the economy, the environment, childcare, healthcare, crime etc. are addressed by candidates, another important issue, ‘affordable housing’, is barely mentioned.
This lack of attention paid to tenants and issues of particular relevance to them should provide a strong incentive for renters to ask the following questions: “Why doesn’t the federal government give tax breaks to tenants in line with those currently available to homeowners?” And more important, “Have tenants become invisible?”
Candidates website links:
Maria Minna (Liberal)
http://www.mariaminna.com/
Marilyn Churley (NDP)
http://www.marilynchurleyndp.ca/
Caroline Alleslev (Conservative Party)
Zoran Markovski (Green Party)
East York Tenants Group 
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