The Ontario government is facing sharp criticism from tenant advocacy groups for its plan to fast-track significant changes to the province's eviction system through Bill 60, a move critics label an undemocratic abuse of power.
What is Bill 60?
Last month, Premier Doug Ford’s government tabled Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act. The province argues the legislation is essential to cut red tape and accelerate the construction of homes, citing a housing shortage and economic uncertainty from the ongoing U.S. trade war.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack stated the bill is part of building a "more prosperous, resilient and competitive economy" by fighting delays that slow down the delivery of critical homes and infrastructure.
A key component of the bill focuses on the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), aiming to reduce resolution delays. The government says the proposed law would limit bad actors from abusing the system and includes new measures to help balance the rights and responsibilities of both landlords and tenants.
Tenant Advocacy Groups Sound the Alarm
However, tenant organizations see the proposed changes very differently. The group No Demovictions, which helps renters facing demolition and conversion across Ontario, claims the bill will weaken tenants' rights and make it easier for landlords to evict them.
In a contentious procedural move, the provincial government is skipping the Standing Committee process, fast-tracking the legislation directly to its third reading. This bypasses the usual stage where public hearings and detailed clause-by-clause analysis occur.
Lindsay Blackwell, a tenant organizer with No Demovictions, called this an "outrageous abuse of power" and a "deliberate effort to silence tenants." Blackwell pointed out that while 30% of Ontarians are renters, their voices were shut out of the process, while landlord lobbyists had supportive quotes ready immediately after the bill was announced.
Calls for Intervention and Suspension
No Demovictions is calling for the Ford government to suspend the third reading of Bill 60 until proper public hearings are held. They are demanding meaningful consultations with tenant legal advocacy groups, municipalities, and housing and homelessness service providers.
David Steinman of No Demovictions argued that while the bill claims to protect small landlords from problematic tenants, it actually provides large landlords with tools to label tenants as problematic simply for standing in the way of increased profits.
The group is also taking the extraordinary step of calling on the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Governor General of Canada, and Prime Minister Mark Carney to intervene, claiming that limiting public hearings undermines democratic transparency in policymaking.
The fate of Bill 60 now hangs in the balance as it moves forward amid significant opposition from those who argue it prioritizes speed and development over the fundamental rights of Ontario's renters.
