Ontario Liberals will bring back rent control for everyone

SCARBOROUGH – Steven Del Duca announced that an Ontario Liberal government will bring back rent control for every building in Ontario, helping protect the very people Doug Ford and his Conservatives have spent four years ignoring.

“In the last election, Doug Ford broke every promise he made to Ontario tenants. He said he would protect rent control and “maintain the status quo”, instead he gutted rent control allowing his wealthy landlord donors to jack rents up as much as they want,” said Del Duca. “It was dishonest. There’s no other way to put it. He’s left the people that need protection most to suffer skyrocketing rents.”

Shortly after he was elected, Doug Ford cut rent control for all new buildings, creating a two-tiered rental market where some are protected, and many are left with zero protection from rent and facing double digit rent hikes. Two months ago, some Ontario couples were reporting rent increases of $500 per month. Ontario Liberals will end this, bringing back rent control to all homes across Ontario and providing much-needed stability to renters.

“So many people in Ontario are still hurting from the last two years of chaos and confusion. Seniors can’t afford to see their rents skyrocket with no protection,” said Del Duca. “Ontario Liberals will ensure every rental unit in Ontario has protected rents that landlords can’t jack up as much as they want. Ontarians have a clear choice between real rent protections and more Ford lies.”

The Ontario Liberal plan will add 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years, including truly affordable homes like new social and supportive housing for people who need it. To help double the pace of homebuilding, the Liberal plan will create a new Ontario Home Building Corporation (OHBC) to finance and build new, affordable homes with a focus on helping first-time homebuyers. Ontario Liberals will also provide renters with a pathway to home ownership, creating a legal framework that provides protections and certainty for owners and renters to opt into rent-to-own agreements.

Doug Ford during the 2018 Election: “I have listened to the people, and I won’t take rent control away from anyone. Period. When it comes to rent control, we’re going to maintain the status quo.”

Doug Ford right after the 2018 Election: Ends rent control.