Council quashes push for Toronto-style apartment inspections
Slumlords were squarely in the crosshairs of city council on Tuesday evening, but how to best ensure renters have safe and properly maintained housing proved divisive.
After a council committee was deadlocked three weeks ago, Coun. Jesse Helmer renewed his motion calling for a budget business case on a rental inspection program modelled after Toronto’s RentSafeTO.
“We’ve heard from some members of the Tenant Landlord Taskforce that they’d like to weigh in on this idea and talk about it, and having a business case come forward to the next multi-year budget give plenty of time for that,” Helmer told his council colleagues.
RentSafeTO is a municipal program inspecting apartment buildings every three years in Toronto to ensure proper maintenance.
Buildings that score low can be subject to greater scrutiny and penalties for not completing essential repairs in a timely manner.
Civic administration at city hall estimates a similar program in London would require hiring 37 more bylaw officers and an equal number of fire prevention officers.
“Before building more bureaucracy, let’s make sure when there’s a complaint or a problem, we have a way for it to be fixed,” argued Coun. Michael van Holst.
However, Coun. Anna Hopkins emphasized that the request was simply for additional information, “Why not look at a business case? We’re not approving to go ahead with this program.”
After consulting with the local Tenant Landlord Taskforce, municipal staff recommended a different approach which includes streamlining the complaint process at city hall and conducting some targeted building blitzes.
The political push for a business case on a RentSafe-style program lost on a 3-10 vote.
“It was almost like one solution fits all, and frankly that’s not practical, and I think it’s expensive and just doesn’t make sense for our city,” explained Mayor Ed Holder.
There are over 47,000 rental units in townhouses and apartment buildings in London.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.