Posted in Affordable housing, Economy, Ontario Provincial election 2011, Residential Tenancies Act, Seniors housing, Vacancy Decontrol, tagged Affordable housing, Economy, Ontario Provincial election 2011, Residential Tenancies Act, Seniors housing, Vacancy Decontrol on September 22, 2011| 4 Comments »
The 2011 Ontario Provincial election will take place October 6, 2011
At this time of fiscal constraints, inflation, jobless rate, environmental concerns and continuing economic uncertainties, the daily lives of many Ontarians are affected adversely. In particular, many tenants seeking affordable housing face tough choices trying to keep a roof over their heads and feeding their families. In this election it is critical that candidates seeking your support find creative (more…)
Posted in 2010 Rent Increase Guideline, Above Guideline increase, Annual Guideline Rent Increase, Capital Expenditures, Consumer Price Index, Economy, Landlord and Tenant Board, Last Month Rent (LMR), Ontario Tenants Rights, Residential Tenancies Act, Smart meters, Statistics Canada, Utilities, Vacancy Decontrol, tagged 2010 Rent Increase Guideline, Above Guideline increase, Annual Guideline Rent Increase, Capital Expenditures, Consumer Price Index, Ontario Tenants Rights, Residential Tenancies Act, Utilities, Vacancy Decontrol on October 9, 2009| 5 Comments »
The Annual Rent Increase Guideline and the Above Guideline Increase for 2010 have been announced. Much to no one’s surprise both rent increase guidelines are greater than those of 2009. The Annual Rent Increase Guideline has been raised from 1.8% to 2.1% and applies to a rent increase that begins any time between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010. This annual increase is intended to cover the (more…)
Posted in Affordable housing, Building Maintenance, Canada's Housing Policy, City Hall, City of Toronto, Developers, Economy, Home ownership, Housing waiting list, Rent-geared-to-income, Subsidized housing, Tax breaks, tagged Affordable housing, Building Maintenance, Canada's Housing Policy, Developers, Economy, Home ownership, Tax breaks on November 18, 2008| 2 Comments »
The City of Toronto’s Affordable Housing Office has been involved in various housing initiatives to make life easier for renters in the GTA with low or modest incomes . The initiatives include various strategies that would increase the supply of affordable rental housing and also provide opportunities for low-income renters to purchase a home. Here are some examples of the City’s affordable housing initiatives:
1. Rental Housing
The City of Toronto’s Affordable Housing Office has a project in place to increase the number of affordable rental units available to renters with modest incomes. This ‘affordable rental housing’ project consists of 35 rental buildings under development and as of September 2008 a total 6 were completed. You can view a list of the ongoing building and (more…)
Posted in Activism, Affordable housing, Canada's Housing Policy, CMHC, Economy, Politics, Rent Control, Residential Tenancies Act, Tax breaks, tagged Affordable housing, Canada's Housing Policy, CMHC, Economy, Maria Minna, Repairs, Residential Tenancies Act, Tax breaks on October 26, 2008| 1 Comment »
In Beaches-East York the incumbent Liberal MP, Maria Minna, is once again heading back to Ottawa to represent us. The East York Tenants Group congratulate her.
Now to the business of getting some concrete action from our newly re-elected federal representative and the newly formed federal government.
Although our recently re-elected MP is in the opposition, tenants in Beaches-East York have certain expectations with regard to alleviating hardships faced by tenants, who by the way, comprise a huge segment of the residential households in Beaches-East York.
In the weeks preceding the election we raised a number of important tenants’ issues, not least of which is ‘affordable housing’. Two of the main factors in realizing ‘affordable housing’ are: i) an adequate supply of rental apartment buildings and/or, ii) bringing back ‘rent controls.’ Several community groups and organizations have raised these issues time and again with politicians. The East York Tenants Group e-mailed political representatives at all levels of government (more…)
Posted in Activism, Affordable housing, Canada's Housing Policy, CMHC, Economy, Politics, Seniors housing, Tax breaks, Voting System, tagged Affordable housing, Canada's Housing Policy, CMHC, Economy, Election 2008, Seniors housing, Tax breaks, Voting System on September 22, 2008| 4 Comments »
By I. Aagaard, Guest Contributor
Okay, I don’t know about you but for me some issues are conspicuously absent in this election campaign. They are:
(a) a total lack of vision regarding Canada and the kind of society we want and,
(b) tenants and the right to affordable housing.
Regarding (a) . . . I only wish to encourage each and every one of you to give serious thought to what kind of society you want for yourself and your children/future generations in this country. Think beyond your own immediate wants and needs and look to what really matters to you. For example, do you think a healthy, well-educated society matters to ensure we remain competitive globally and able to support the education and health care systems vital to our future? Tempting as it is to focus on your own immediate needs, I encourage all of you to look beyond those and give thoughts to the kind of Canada you want for your children and grandchildren and, by extension, for yourself in old age. Think about the kind of health care services, pension income, and affordable senior housing or nursing home care you want to see available to all.
Regarding (b) . . . affordable housing for all, not just the relative few who can afford to buy/own property but more so for the many who are forced to rent a place to live, I ask you to consider if this should be viewed as a universal right or merely a right for those who can afford to own property.
In case you’re not aware of this – CANADA IS THE ONLY WESTERN NATION THAT DOES NOT HAVE A NATIONAL HOUSING POLICY targetting renters. Tenants are left totally at the mercy of the capitalist market place. Landlords will charge whatever the market will bear. Only exception is (more…)
East York Tenants Group 