Motion coming to planning committee to crack down on bad-faith renovictions in Ottawa
As the number of tenants being forced out of their homes soars, an Ottawa city councilor wants the city to do more to prevent bad-faith evictions.
- Sign up now for our daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
The city has seen a significant increase in the number of N13 forms being used for evictions – which require a tenant to move out so a landlord can do major renovations and charge a higher rent.
According to a renoviction report by ACORN, the number of N13’s filed in Ottawa from 2021 to 2022 jumped 545 per cent.
Coun. Ariel Troster now wants the city to explore an anti-renoviction bylaw. Looking to Hamilton, the first city in the province who is requiring a renovation licence for landlords and allowing tenants to return to their units at the same rent.
"Our office has been absolutely inundated with calls," said Troster, who is putting forward a similar motion to the city's planning comittee.
“We have no provincial tenancy control right now, which means, in between tenants, a property owner can raise the rent as much as they want. Citywide, this is leading to a massive problem that's driving people into homelessness.”
Centretown resident Manual Cua is being evicted from his apartment on Bank Street where he’s lived for 26 years and pays just under $500 for rent.
"It’s very hard to find an apartment that’s affordable housing," said Cua. "[If I moved] I will have to take 80 per cent of my salary just to cover my expenses."
He’s one of 17 tenants who are fighting to stay in his apartment. Two years ago, property owners for 211-231 Bank Street Holdings purchased the buildings on the block.
The owner and its development manager, Smart Living Properties, plans to build a new nine-storey building with 263 apartments and retail space on the bottom.
All of the tenants in the 27 apartments and businesses on the block received eviction notices, but the project has yet to be approved by city council.
Centretown resident Jacob Hendren says he’s frustrated by what’s happening to his neighbourhood. He say’s he’s seeing more people evicted from their homes.
"They say that we have a need to build more community. We need more densification, which may not be wrong, but they’re doing it on the backs of the people who currently live there," Hendren said.
“There’s one side of the story that wants to evict people and create more profit off of housing and there’s the other side of the story of people who need a roof over their heads."
Troster says the city is exploring options to create more affordable housing as well. Her renoviction motion is slated to come to the city's planning and housing committee on Wednesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE SOON Police arrest 3 in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
BREAKING Foreign meddling 'did not affect' overall federal election results: inquiry report
Foreign interference by China did not affect the overall results of the 2019 and 2021 general elections won by Justin Trudeau's Liberals, a federal commission of inquiry has found.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto incident caught on video
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Why your airfare may be getting more expensive
Skyrocketing airfare prices are linked to heightened competition and rising food and fuel, according to the CAA.
WATCH LIVE Funeral today for broadcasting legend and voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada' Bob Cole
A funeral is being held today for hockey broadcasting legend Bob Cole in his hometown of St. John's, N.L.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
New weight-loss drug Wegovy not a 'magic bullet,' doctor warns
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Who is Hope Hicks, longtime Trump aide who is testifying in N.Y. hush money case?
Hope Hicks, once a longtime trusted aide in Donald Trump’s inner circle, is testifying Friday in the New York hush money trial after being subpoenaed.