Ford Flip-Flops; Mayor Chow Stands Strong
What a difference two weeks can make in Canadian politics!
For our regular readers of the GTA Muslims Today Newsletter, our report from October 27 celebrated the fact that two politicians on opposite sides of the political spectrum—Premier Ford and Mayor Chow—had taken a similar empathetic approach to the issue of renters’ rights in Toronto.
This followed comments made by the PC Party’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Rob Flack, on October 26, in which he indicated that his party and Premier Ford had decided to hold consultations on changing the “security of tenure.” In simple terms, this meant that the status quo would be maintained, allowing renters to keep the rights they had enjoyed amid discussions of more drastic changes to the bill.
Minister Rob Flack’s message on his social media page read:
“Residents expect stability and predictability in Ontario’s rental market, and now is not the time to consider changes to this system.”
Everyone advocating for renters’ rights, including Mayor Olivia Chow, expressed satisfaction with this move, agreeing with the Minister that it was not the right time to evict tenants during a period of significant economic uncertainty.
At GTA Muslims Today—a politically non-partisan entity—we noticed a connection between two recent incidents involving Ford: the cancellation of speed cameras in Ontario and the removal of renters’ issues from Bill 60. We interpreted both as indicators of his “people-first” policy, especially given that any abrupt changes could spell disaster for struggling Ontarians. Ford made a similar statement when he banned speed cameras.
However, what seemed like spring in Ontario suddenly turned to winter as Ford and his party changed their stance on the issue.
On November 12, news broke that tenants’ rights were once again included in Bill 60, dubbed the “Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act.”
Mayor Chow reacted promptly, criticising the bill’s authors and promising to push back politically. “About half of Toronto’s residents rent their homes,” she stated. “They deserve stability, fairness, and peace of mind, knowing they will not face unfair evictions or sky-high rent increases.” She emphasised that the changes proposed by Ford’s Bill “will make hardworking families less able to defend themselves against large real estate investors. Tenant rights must be protected.”
In their defence, proponents of the bill argued that it aims to attract more landlords into the market by making rental rules more flexible, suggesting that the current tenancy rules are deterring potential investors.
The tug-of-war continues. The next few weeks will be crucial in determining whether this battle is won, lost, or remains undecided – a likely outcome in the realm of politics.
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