Jagmeet Singh announces renoviction-ban plan to make rent more affordable

LONDON—On Thursday, Canada’s NDP leader Jagmeet Singh laid out a plan to ban renovictions to make rent more affordable across the country.

Singh's NDP is proposing federal incentives to force municipalities to legislate a renoviction ban. Hamilton is the first city in Ontario to adopt such a ban and London may soon be the second. Singh was in London Thursday to lay out his commitment, and his belief that nobody should live in fear of being kicked out of their home so a corporate landlord can jack up rent for the next tenant.

“For families, it’s harder than ever to find a decent apartment, and harder still to afford it. Rent is through the roof. And on top of that, renters live in fear of being kicked out by a corporate landlord who claims renovations are needed when, really, they just want to jack up the rent between tenants,” said Singh.

“This is allowed because the system was designed by Liberals and Conservatives to work well for corporate landlords—and people are paying a huge price for that. The system is rigged. New Democrats are ready to rewrite the rules to make life easier for renters.”

Since Justin Trudeau took office, the average rent price across the country has increased by 100 per cent.

London is in the top five cities in Ontario with the most renovictions. In five years, there has been a 180 per cent increase in applications by landlords seeking to renovict tenants.

“Trudeau’s Liberals let people down. Instead of helping people, they helped corporate landlords, so rents doubled. And the Conservatives with Pierre Poilievre aren’t the answer. They believe there should be no rules for corporate landlords, and the prices Canadians will pay will just skyrocket,” said NDP MP Lindsay Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe).

"The truth is that we that we can get rent prices back under control. One step in making that happen is the New Democrats’ plan to change the rules to end the unfair and cruel practice of putting people out on the street so that a few at the top make a bigger profit. Jagmeet Singh will outlaw renovictions.”