Ontario is at a critical point. Housing need is rising, homelessness is growing, federal investment is starting to move but housing starts in Ontario are falling. Decisions made now will set the course for years.

The proposed legislative changes to the Residential Tenancies Act in Bill 60 move policy in the wrong direction and will serve to escalate the homelessness crisis across Ontario. They weaken security of tenure, speed evictions, narrow review windows and reduce compensation in no-fault cases. 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.

Now, 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 and sector partners 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.

United Way Bruce Grey  United Way Centraide North East Ontario United Way Centraide Simcoe Muskoka United Way/Centraide Stormont-Dundas & Glengarry   United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex Chatham-Kent United Way Haliburton Kawartha Lakes United way Durham Region United Way East Ontario United Way Greater Toronto United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin

United Way of Haldimand and Norfolk United Way Halton & Hamilton United Way Hastings & Prince Edward United Way Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington United Way Leeds & Grenville United Way Oxford  United Way Niagara United Way Northumberland United Way Perth Huron United Way Peterborough & District United Way of Thunder Bay United Way Waterloo Region Communities