The wait times and delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board is overwhelming to small landlords in Ontario. The government needs to step in and fix the delay crisis, enough is enough and delayed justice, is justice denied. 6-8 months for a Hearing is unacceptable, it is justice denied. My clients are screaming because this board is doing nothing but adding to long delays and denied justice. The Province needs to immediately address the concerns of Landlord and Tenant Board participants and prevent further denial of justice.
Small Landlords in Ontario cannot accept this anymore. Ontario is denying justice by delaying hearings, having Landlords being denied access to justice, and expecting them to carry a Tenants debt for 6-8 months while the Board schedules hearings. This isn’t acceptable, this isn’t permissible.
Do you know how many times, I have expressed concern only to fall on deaf ears? Many times, nearly every week I send a letter, and get no response back, or a generic response that is neither helpful nor encouraging. The people of Ontario cannot stand for justice denied, without proper resources, funding, and efficiencies of the system, nothing is going to get better.
How many MPP’s are going to respond? Is this email too going to fall on deaf ears? Silence cannot last forever, those who use the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board Services deserve better. The people of Ontario deserve fair access to justice, and that is being denied. Your silence and neglect to bring up the issue in parliament contributes to denied justice. Members of Parliament that remain silent, ignore the issue and don’t take action, or are uninformed, contribute to the problem. You cannot be the member of parliament that remains silent and does not at least raise the issue or voice a concern. You also don’t need to be the Justice Minister to understand that Justice delayed, is justice denied, justice denied, is injustice. Members of Parliament cannot standby while injustice is carried out and should at least become informed of the issues at the LTB (Landlord and Tenant Board). This affects all of Ontario from the remote north to the metropolitan areas of Toronto, to the rural farmlands of the southwest, each and every corner of this Province is facing a serious delay to Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board Services, and this should concern you as a member of our government.
It is not acceptable in this province for an individual to wait 7-8 months for a hearing, and even longer to get a decision. Justice delayed, is justice denied, justice denied, is injustice. Members of parliament who are silent on the issue or attempt to ignore the issue contribute to denied justice. I am seeking one, just one simple request from every member of parliament, and that is to engage in discussions, raise the issues and attempt to come up with a solution.
It does not matter if you’re Red, Blue, Orange or an Independent, this isn’t a political argument, it is a denial of justice, a concern for each and every party member regardless of colour or party status. Raise the issues, raise the discussion, and at the minimum, acknowledge the delay. If you’re complacent with the delays to justice, are you really standing up for the People of Ontario? It’s time to become informed, and raise the discussion, don’t ignore the pleads for justice.
Jordan Nieuwhof is a paralegal representing landlords in Ontario. This op ed is not representative of the official Solo Landlords Inc. position and is the sole opinion of the author
