Canada’s NDP proposes to lower rent, stop renovictions and save affordable homes for Canadians

In London, 89 per cent of rental homes are owned by corporate landlords and the price for a one-bedroom apartment increased by almost 28 per cent this year.

LONDON— On Friday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and NDP MP for London—Fanshawe Lindsay Mathyssen discussed their plan to stop renovictions that force people out of their apartments and allow corporate landlords to jack up the rent.

Singh and Mathyssen spoke outside apartment buildings on Webster Street where tenants’ leases are being terminated so that the Toronto-based company that owns the buildings can renovate several units. Many of these tenants are seniors on a fixed income who are concerned that the market for a one-bedroom apartment in London has ballooned to $1,730 a month while they have been paying $900.
“Everyone should be able to find a place they can afford that’s safe, and fits their family in the community they love,” said Singh. “No one should be afraid to be renovicted or see their rent doubled because a housing profiteer bought their building to increase profits. But unfortunately, that’s what is happening right now in these two buildings but also in many other places across the country.
And Pierre Poilievre’s so-called housing plan will only help make super-rich investors and big developers even richer. New Democrats are fighting to help you and your family—not huge, corporate landlords.”
Eight years ago, Justin Trudeau promised to make things better. But under his leadership, for Canadians looking for a new place, rent is up by 60 per cent.
New Democrats want to create an affordable housing acquisition fund. This will allow not-for-profit housing providers to buy affordable units when they come on the market and keep them out of the hands of for-profit corporate landlords trying to increase their profits on the backs of Canadians.
“Successive Liberal and Conservative governments have let housing profiteers use the housing market as a casino instead of protecting people. This needs to stop,” said Mathyssen. “We can put a moratorium in place on housing profiteers buying up huge numbers of affordable homes so not-for-profit housing providers don’t have to compete with these deep-pocketed corporate landlords ripping off hardworking Canadians. This would help the tenants from Webster Street apartments and countless Canadians across the country.
New Democrats are going to fight to end renovictions, lower rent and save the affordable homes that are available.”