Despite renoviction requests in Ottawa having almost quintupled in the last six years, city staff have recommended delaying a bylaw that would require landlords to justify evicting tenants. A staff report which was to be discussed at Planning and Housing Committee this Wednesday acknowledged that “it is highly probable that unlawful evictions are occurring in the community.”
So-called “alternative lenders” face new limits on how much interest they can charge borrowers following changes to the Criminal Code that came into effect with the New Year. The changes reduce the criminal rate of interest from 47 per cent APR (annual percentage rate) to 35 per cent APR. It’s a victory for activists following years of campaigning, but they’re calling on Ottawa to do more to fight predatory lending.
A proposed renovictions bylaw is a hot topic. City Councillor for Somerset Ward Ariel Troster joined us this morning to discuss.
Ottawa doesn’t have a renoviction bylaw, but the planning and housing committee has asked city staff to look deeper into the possibility. Hamilton, Toronto and London are among the Ontario cities that already have such bylaws. Ottawa’s review process would take more than a year and it would mean that other priorities would be delayed, including regulations for leaf blowers and a review of existing regulations for body rub parlours.
Staff released a report last week recommending that council wait for further research before implementing a renoviction bylaw. The Wednesday committee meeting heard from 24 public delegates, including representatives from The Ottawa Mission, the Carleton University Students’ Association, the Alliance to End Homelessness and ACORN about the community and personal impacts of renoviction, as well as its contribution to the city’s homelessness crisis.
Les élus municipaux d’Ottawa souhaitent que l’administration de la ville se penche sur l’élaboration d’un règlement entourant les rénovictions dans la capitale fédérale, malgré les réticences soulevées dans le rapport préparé par le personnel municipal.
