FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Small Landlord Protest – Monday, June 5, 2023
Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON
Small landlords, many of whom own one to five properties and are employed full-time, are forced by the Ontario Government to provide financial support to tenants who are unable or unwilling to pay rent.
Delays to obtain a hearing from the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) and a Sheriff can take up to one year, and during this time the Ontario Government has taken control of private property which has impeded the ability of small landlords to preserve their ability to generate revenue or protect their physical property. They’re left with no other alternative than to work long hours, secure more loans (debt) or rely on family members for financial assistance to support tenants.
The Ontario Government’s apathy and unequal treatment of small landlords came to light in 2020 during the moratorium eviction ban. Tenants who experienced financial hardship were protected by the Ontario Government with programs such as CERB, however, in contrast, small landlords were forced to cover all financial obligations and none of the financial support given to tenants was mandated to be given to the housing provider.
It has been three years post-pandemic, and with ongoing and prolonged LTB delays, the average eviction cost per small landlord is $30K to $50K. The struggles of small landlords continue to remain inconsequential to the Ontario Government who through their inaction have signaled a lack of concern.
The unfair treatment of small landlords has made its way to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and a class action claim was filed on December 30, 2022 by Marshall Law Group. The class action lawsuit claims among many things that through regulation of private property, the Ontario Government has in effect expropriated property. This is known as constructive taking or de facto expropriation. This occurs when a government or any authority takes over control or ownership of private property, or interferes with the use of private property, in a way that effectively deprives the owner of their property rights.
SOLO is calling on all small landlords to join together to protest against injustice. Let’s demand change and compensation for de facto expropriation or constructive taking.
END
ABOUT SOLO
SOLO (Small Ownership Landlords Ontario) is a volunteer coalition of 7,000+ independent housing providers spread out across the province of Ontario. We formed in the spring of 2020 to address the numerous issues small Ontario housing providers face with legislation, policies and delays overseen by the Attorney General, the Ministry of Housing and the Ministry of Community and Social Services.
Register Here: https://go.solo.ca/protest – Constructive Taking: https://go.solo.ca/PnM8E
