Ontario is at a critical point. Housing need is rising, homelessness is growing, federal investment is starting to move but new home construction is slowing in Ontario. The Province’s goal to create conditions for faster homebuilding, through predictable approvals and transit-oriented projects makes sense but decisions made now will set the course for years.
The legislative changes to the Residential Tenancies Act in Schedule 12 of Bill 60, move policy in the wrong direction and will serve to escalate the homelessness crisis across Ontario. They weaken security of tenure, speed eviction and narrow review windows. This is not a solution for people who are precariously housed and will level even greater pressure on municipalities and community agencies struggling to address need.
The focus should be on keeping people housed while new supply comes online. That means maintaining reasonable grace periods for arrears, ensuring tenants can raise legitimate health and safety concerns without undue barriers, preserving fair compensation and clear standards in no-fault evictions with consequences for bad-faith cases and keeping review and appeal timelines workable so disputes are resolved on their merits. These measures protect due process, prevent avoidable evictions, and steady the system as we build.
We join colleagues from across the community services sector in calling on the Province to repeal Schedule 12 of Bill 60 and commit to meaningful consultation with tenants, sector partners and municipalities on proposed amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act and provincial housing policies that impact tenants.
United Ways across Ontario partner with regional and municipal governments and are ready to work with the Province to keep people housed while Ontario builds the homes our communities need.
Please find a link to the statement on the UWGT website: https://www.unitedwaygt.org/public-policy/united-ways-of-ontario-call-for-the-province-to-repeal-schedule-12-bill-60-the-fighting-delays-building-faster-act-2025/