Singh proposes moratorium on 'corporate landlords' buying up rentals
Tenants at the Webster Street apartments in northeast London, Ont. got some high profile help Friday in their fight to stay in their homes.
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh made a stop at the apartment complex to announce his proposal to prevent what he said are greedy corporate landlords from profiteering.
“They’re forcing all these people to live in panic and fear of what’s going to happen to them,” he said.
Singh is calling for a moratorium on the sale of rental homes to large for-profit landlords, or what he calls “corporate landlords.” He also wants an acquisition fund established that would allow municipalities and non-profits to buy up affordable rental units when they come on the market.
“This is something we believe, it has to happen right away,” said Singh to a crowd of renters and renters’ advocates, along with assembled media, and those taking in the news conference virtually.
“So we’re going to be using all the tools that we have to push this forward in parliament, to push the government to move forward on this. We’ve used our powers in the past to deliver things like dental care,” he added. “We want to use our power now to focus on housing.”
A small group of people gathered to advocate for affordable housing in London on May 26, 2023. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)Singh’s stop at the Webster Street location was no accident.
Webster Apartments has been thrust into the national spotlight recently over what tenants claim are “renoviction” notices. Several tenants have said they’re being evicted because the property owner wants to renovate their unit.
Tenant Julie Gallagher told CTV News London every tenant is nervous they’ll be the next one to get the notice.
“Oh yeah, it’s going to come down the pipeline, we’re positive of that,” she said. “They’re using the excuse ‘reno.’ A lot of these units don’t have to be reno’d. Mine is completely done.”
Tenant Deborah Barrett said she and her mother have been given notices to be out of their apartments by the end of this month. She said Singh’s plan is too little, too late for her and her mother, who is 83.
“This isn’t something that can’t sit in the House of Commons for five years, we’re being evicted by the end of the month,” said Barrett.
“It’s ridiculous, it’s not fair,” she added through tears.
According to the NDP, 89 per cent of rental homes in London are owned by corporate landlords.
Singh will also be making a stop at a private event at Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese in Oxford County on Friday afternoon.
— With files from CTV News London's Kristylee Varley
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
What a U.S. farmworker’s case of bird flu tells us about tracking the infection
A U.S. farmworker who caught bird flu after working with dairy cattle in Texas appears to be the first known case of mammal-to-human transmission of the virus, a new study shows.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.