Shouts and chants rained down upon politicians at the Ontario legislature Monday as the government passed a housing bill that critics say makes it easier for landlords to evict tenants.
Queen’s Park security eventually cleared the public gallery in order to complete the final vote on Bill 60.
Premier Doug Ford told the yelling crowd to “go find a job.”
Members of ACORN Canada, a tenant advocacy group, were kicked out after chanting “people over profits” at the time of the vote.
The organization says the bill accelerates evictions and strips tenants of their ability to defend themselves.
Housing Minister Rob Flack says the province is restoring balance in the landlord-tenant system and maintains tenant protection.
Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates is also urging the Ford government to review the housing provisions of Bill 60.
“We’ve all heard of the billions being spent by big corporations to buy up homes in Niagara, and we’ve all seen the cost of seniors being aggressively renovicted,” said Gates. “Let’s be clear, this bill doesn’t help a single family in Niagara. We should be passing bills that build affordable housing, not ones that help deep-pocketed corporations’ profit faster on it – ignoring the real problem of an over-worked and underfunded landlord tenant board is a disgrace,” said Gates.
The Ontario NDP’s motion calls on the government to remove the harmful housing sections from Bill 60 and take real action to make homes affordable, including restoring real rent control and cracking down on bad-faith evictions.
Photo Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
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