Kitchener considering bylaw to protect renters
The City of Kitchener is considering new rules to help renters facing demoviction.
According to a city staff report, the proposed bylaw would “provide stability and compensation to tenants displaced by redevelopment and to create a transparent and predictable Rental Replacement permitting regime.”
“It’s one tool in the toolkit and I hope that we keep expanding on how we can protect renters and rent eviction,” said Kitchener Councillor Stephanie Stretch.
If adopted, a landowner who wants to convert six or more rental units must provide alternative housing to all affected tenants or compensation if the building is set to be demolished. Renters could opt for free rent for one year prior to moving out, compensation for 10 months of rent, or the landowner could be required to find them a new place to live.
“Rent of that new unit would be equal to what they’re currently paying,” explained Natalie Goss, the planning researcher for the City of Kitchener. “If the rent of that unit that they’ve secured, the market rate for that rent is higher, the developer would be one that would be paying for the difference.”
The city said the rental replacement bylaw is one way to keep rental units on the market, by mandating the building keeps the same number of rental units.
“Continuing to provide affordable housing options, even in newer buildings, continues to be important,” Goss added.
Despite the restrictions placed on developers, the city is hopeful it will actually help development by making sure everyone is following the same playbook.
“It does make it predictable for developers, knowing when they do want to make some changes, knowing what the expectations are,” explained Stretch. “It also provides stability because tenants know what those expectations are.”
The bylaw won’t protect tenants, like those living at 250 Frederick Street, who are facing eviction through renovation.
The city said it doesn’t have the authority.
“We have limited tools to use,” explained Stretch. “Really, we would need to see some stronger action from the province about this.”
If the proposed rental replacement bylaw is passed, it could go into effect later this summer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6940995.1719358769!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Things a pediatrician would never let their child do
As summer begins for most children around Canada, CTV News spoke with a number of pediatric health professionals about the best practices for raising kids, and how the profession has evolved since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Should he stay or should he go now? A look at Trudeau's options after byelection loss
A historic defeat for the Liberals in a downtown Toronto byelection has put a glaring question mark on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's political future. Here's a look at the options Trudeau and the Liberals face as they enter a summer of soul-searching.
Women's rights activists cover Rome's Spanish Steps in red paint
Women's rights activists protested against feminicide on Wednesday by painting Rome's famed Spanish Steps red, symbolically representing the blood of female victims of violence.
France bans extreme-right and radical Islamic groups ahead of polarizing elections
France’s government on Wednesday ordered the dissolution of extreme right and radical Muslim groups, four days before the first round of high-stakes legislative elections that may see a surge in support for political extremes.
'Why did I have this surgery?' Ont. mother seeks answers after son's tonsil surgery
An Ontario mother said it looked like a horror movie when she flicked on the lights of her son’s bedroom to find him projectile vomiting blood after his tonsils were removed at McMaster Children’s Hospital.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returns to Australia a free man after U.S. legal battle ends
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returned to his homeland Australia aboard a charter jet on Wednesday, hours after pleading guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with U.S. Justice Department prosecutors that concludes a drawn-out legal saga.
Alabama man denied office after winning election reaches proposed settlement to become town's first Black mayor
An Alabama town and a Black man who was prevented from becoming its mayor after winning his 2020 election have reached a proposed settlement, according to federal court documents.
New experience in Halifax gets people up close and personal to the ocean's most feared predator
Atlantic Shark Expeditions launched a new shark cage experience which gives brave attendees a chance to get up close and personal with the oceans most feared predator.
Smith tells Trudeau Alberta will opt out of federal dental plan
Alberta is opting out of the federal dental plan, the premier told the Canadian government late Tuesday afternoon.