500 signatures reached
To: Doug Ford and Paul Calandra; Toronto Mayor and City Councillors
Moratorium on Demovictions!
We are calling for a moratorium on demovictions from the Provincial Government, and call on the City of Toronto to put pressure on them to ACT NOW! Learn more about this and other asks: https://www.nodemovictions.ca/mission
The stock of affordable purpose-built rental buildings in Toronto is currently being destroyed at an unprecedented rate, causing irreparable damage to an already limited pool of affordable housing, which contributes to soaring rent prices, gentrification, and the number of people experiencing homelessness.
There are OVER 70 purpose-built rental buildings being demolished and re-developed to build luxury condominiums, which represents *thousands* of households competing for rental housing in an already tight, volatile market (and there are not enough purpose-built rentals being built to accommodate this tenant displacement!). This means that thousands of people will have to choose between moving away from Toronto, seeking housing in secondary rental markets (e.g., condos), downgrading current quality of housing, and/or experiencing homelessness.
The loss of purpose built rental apartments to demolition has an exponential impact on the rental market. Demolishing an occupied apartment reduces the number units available for rent, while simultaneously adding a tenant back into the market. Until the impact of the over 70 buildings being demovicted (and counting) has been evaluated to better understand the impact that displacement will have on communities, tenants, and Toronto’s housing, we are calling for a *moratorium on all demoviction applications*. This includes all applications that are pre-construction, including those that have been approved by City Council.
This is the first of many asks from the Mayor of Toronto and City Councillors. The other asks can be found here: https://www.nodemovictions.ca/mission
The stock of affordable purpose-built rental buildings in Toronto is currently being destroyed at an unprecedented rate, causing irreparable damage to an already limited pool of affordable housing, which contributes to soaring rent prices, gentrification, and the number of people experiencing homelessness.
There are OVER 70 purpose-built rental buildings being demolished and re-developed to build luxury condominiums, which represents *thousands* of households competing for rental housing in an already tight, volatile market (and there are not enough purpose-built rentals being built to accommodate this tenant displacement!). This means that thousands of people will have to choose between moving away from Toronto, seeking housing in secondary rental markets (e.g., condos), downgrading current quality of housing, and/or experiencing homelessness.
The loss of purpose built rental apartments to demolition has an exponential impact on the rental market. Demolishing an occupied apartment reduces the number units available for rent, while simultaneously adding a tenant back into the market. Until the impact of the over 70 buildings being demovicted (and counting) has been evaluated to better understand the impact that displacement will have on communities, tenants, and Toronto’s housing, we are calling for a *moratorium on all demoviction applications*. This includes all applications that are pre-construction, including those that have been approved by City Council.
This is the first of many asks from the Mayor of Toronto and City Councillors. The other asks can be found here: https://www.nodemovictions.ca/mission
Why is this important?
The displacement of thousands of tenants currently living in stable housing will make the rental market in Toronto even more competitive and volatile for *all* tenants. At a time when we do not have enough housing supply, it is socially irresponsible to destroy already dense housing, which will be removed from the market of available rentals for the next 3-5 years.
If you care about rental affordability, please sign this petition. Demovictions don't just impact tenants being displaced, but the state of both short and long-term affordable rental supply. All rental replacements in new luxury condominiums only need to be rentals for at least 10 years, after which they can return to being market units. The result? Affordability is kicked down the road, out of the reach of from future generations.
If you care about rental affordability, please sign this petition. Demovictions don't just impact tenants being displaced, but the state of both short and long-term affordable rental supply. All rental replacements in new luxury condominiums only need to be rentals for at least 10 years, after which they can return to being market units. The result? Affordability is kicked down the road, out of the reach of from future generations.
How it will be delivered
We will deliver this petition on Monday, October 2nd, 2023 (International Tenants Day) at City Hall at 5PM. Join us in taking a stand against the financialization of our diminishing supply of purpose-built affordable rental buildings. Learn more about our event: https://www.nodemovictions.ca/events