December 12 - Update
Dear neighbour,
The last day of the legislative session will be remembered as a dark day in Ontario’s history. Thursday, December 8 was the day when the Conservatives anointed mayors of their choosing with the power of undemocratic minority rule.
Now mayors in Toronto and Ottawa can pass laws with just one-third of city councillors voting in support. Ottawa’s new mayor said he’ll never use the power; Mayor Tory is still saying he will. Housing Minister Steve Clark has indicated he plans to expand these ‘strong mayor’ powers to other regions, including Waterloo, Peel and York.
No one should trust an elected official who not only votes to weaken democracy but celebrates while doing it.
More and more Ontarians understand what kind of Premier we are dealing with. Recent polling shows Ford is deeply unpopular.
Change is on the horizon. I hold the events on November 14 as a beacon of what people-power can accomplish. That was the day I watched the Conservatives stand, one by one, and vote to repeal Bill 35, the nuclear bomb of a law that invoked the notwithstanding clause to impose a contract on education workers, violating their charter-protected rights. The Conservatives didn’t clap for that vote, but Ontarians everywhere did because it was you and I that forced them to do it.
Please reach out if you need help, have advice, or have any questions.
Have a safe and happy holiday season,
Jessica Bell, MPP
University–Rosedale
My newsletter this week:
Queen’s Park:
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I introduce motions to stop sprawl, and build more homes in existing neighbourhoods
Ontario needs to build 1.5 million homes to meet the needs of current and future Ontarians. The question isn’t whether we build, but how, where, and who we build for. Affordability and sustainability are integral to any good housing plan.
As part of our work to address the housing crisis, I have introduced motions 29 and 30.
Motion 29 calls on the Government of Ontario to direct municipalities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area to update their official plans to meet current and future housing, job, and growth needs by keeping their current urban boundaries intact.
Motion 30 calls for the Government of Ontario to make the necessary legislative changes to end exclusionary zoning and permit the as-of-right construction of townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes in municipalities, and higher density along public transit routes.
You can support my motions here.
The Ford government wants to build expensive and sprawl on farmland and the Greenbelt because that’s what his developer donor friends have been asking him to do.
That’s why, since 2020, the Ford government has been forcing municipalities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area to expand their urban boundaries to permit unsustainable and expensive suburban sprawl on thousands of acres of farmland and greenspace across Southern Ontario.
Ontario doesn’t have a shortage of land; the government’s own housing affordability task force made that clear. Ontario needs to do a better job building and planning in areas already zoned for development. That’s why we’re calling for an end to exclusionary zoning, and a commitment to build the walkable transit-friendly neighbourhoods we need.
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I join rally to demand Ford fix the state of hospitals
Today, I joined my colleagues outside Toronto General at a protest demanding the government fix our hospitals. I listened to doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists describe what it’s like to work in a hospital today. I was horrified.
We have a Tylenol shortage, a bed shortage, and a staffing shortage. Sick Kids is at 120% capacity, emergency rooms are closing, people in extreme pain are being treated in waiting rooms, labour and delivery in northern wards are closing.
Natalie Mehra from the Ontario Health Coalition said that Ontario’s health care system has never been worse. Instead of fixing the problem, this government is going to court - again - to defend its cap on health care workers' wages. It is doubling down on paying for-profit and private providers to deliver health care, from surgeries to tests. Privatization is not the solution to our health care crisis.
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It’s time to give the Condo Tribunal the authority to resolve the disputes that matter
Ontario's 1.3 million condo residents deserve to live in safe, well-maintained homes, but the Conservative government has failed to properly regulate Ontario's condo sector.
This week, I introduced a motion calling for the Ontario government to give the Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT) the right to hear and adjudicate on the biggest disputes condo residents face, including condo board governance, condo fees, repairs, reserve funds, and short-term rentals.
I introduced this motion in response to the many complaints our office has received from condo residents. With no access to the tribunal, many residents either give up, move out, or spend thousands of dollars going to court to have their problems resolved. Many of these issues were raised by the Auditor General in her damning 2020 and 2022 reports.
The expansion of the CAT is just one of the regulatory changes I am calling on the Ford government to enact to provide condo residents with the protections they need to live in safe and well-maintained homes. Others include:
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Proclaim the 2015 amendments in the Act to Protect Condominium Owners 2015. These amendments would require developers to provide a standard legal contract and disclosure statement so condo residents don’t get a nasty surprise and find they bought a home that is smaller or lacks the amenities they were promised at sale.
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Ensure condo dwellers are fully informed of all current and projected condo fee costs.
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Improve the performance of the Condo Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario managers.
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Improve the performance of the Condo Authority of Ontario (CAO), the agency responsible for regulating condo board directors and condo boards.
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Give more authority to the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services so the ministry has the power to effectively inspect, investigate and enforce the laws.
I firmly believe there are some government members who share our belief that condo residents should have consumer protections. They need to hear from you.
TAKE ACTION: Please send a message to your local MPP and the Premier asking them to expand the jurisdiction of the tribunal. I urge you to download a petition, get your neighbours to sign, and then send the petition back to me so I can read your concerns in the legislature.
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Ontario needs a plan to address the growing homelessness crisis
On Thursday, a demonstration was held at the homeless encampment at St Stephen's near College St and Bellevue Ave. The city is threatening the camp and its members with eviction.
The city doesn’t have the shelter beds, the affordable housing, or the supportive housing necessary to provide safe and dignified homes for people living in this encampment, and others like it across Toronto.
The province is missing in action. Last winter, the Auditor General reported that the Ford government “has no plan to reduce or prevent homelessness”. This winter, we are seeing the consequences. Costs for food and housing have gone up, people are being evicted and losing their homes, and food bank use has increased by 300%. Shelters in Toronto are full. And, the temporary housing used during COVID is near expiration. If the government doesn’t take meaningful action soon, the City’s homelessness crisis will get worse.
We are calling on Premier Ford to develop and release a plan to reduce and prevent homelessness this winter, and end homelessness by 2025. You can read our letter here. I urge you to join us in demanding a housing plan that prevents homelessness this winter by adding your name in support here.
Update on St Stephen’s in the Fields encampment:
The City may let the encampment residents stay in the churchyard until they are offered dignified indoor space, but discussions with the church are ongoing.
Here are some things you can do to help if you are able:
1. Please donate to St Stephen’s in the Fields https://saintstephens.caSt. Stephens’s in the Fields is a congregation actively committed to building a better world for all. Their work prioritizes solidarity with people who have been pushed to the margins. Their many outreach initiatives include weekend breakfasts and a weekly Friday evening drop-in safe space.: https://saintstephens.ca/contact (click on the yellow donate button)
2. Make noise!
Ask elected politicians to increase the number of shelter spaces and 24-hour warming centres in Toronto ASAP and to provide deeply affordable, supported housing options for people experiencing homelessness. To sign our “End homelessness Now" letter: https://www.jessicabellmpp.ca/homelessnesscrisis
To send your own letter:
councillor_saxe@toronto.ca
mayor_tory@toronto.ca
jbell-co@ndp.on.ca
premier@ontario.ca
steve.clark@pc.ola.org
chrystia.freeland@parl.gc.ca
3. Volunteer
In the coming days or weeks, St Stephens may want volunteers to help load loose materials onto City trucks. If you can help, please contact the church at ststepheninthefields@gmail.com
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NDP report urges Ford to double social assistance rates
My NDP colleagues and I delivered a report to Doug Ford and the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services on Wednesday highlighting the daily challenges of Ontarians who live on social assistance in their own words.
The report is the result of a social assistance roundtable discussion we hosted in October with social assistance recipients, service providers, and advocates across the province. It highlights the strain that inadequate rates of Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) place on the individual recipient and on society, costing Ontario millions of dollars in health care and social services costs and putting undue strain on social service programs like community food banks.
Every day in Ontario, there are about 900,000 people who are forced to make impossible decisions while living on social assistance — choices nobody in Ontario should ever have to make, like paying rent or buying groceries.
Despite record levels of inflation and rates frozen since 2018, this year, the Ford government only provided a meager, five per cent increase to ODSP. The NDP will not stop fighting until the Ford government doubles social assistance rates, ensuring that everyone in our province has access to a good quality of life, including the ability to afford decent housing, nutritious food, and other necessities.
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Support my bill to stop illegal evictions
Every week I meet residents who are hurting because our city is in the middle of an affordable housing crisis. Illegal evictions and renovictions are making the housing crisis worse.
Data from the Landlord and Tenant Board shows that between 2015 and 2019, landlords’ requests for eviction hearings where the tenant has done nothing wrong rose by over 77 percent. This is because landlords use evictions to kick out long-term tenants who are protected by rent control and replace them with new tenants, charging a much higher rent. Illegal evictions like these are driving up the cost of housing for everyone. This week, I re-introduced my bill Protecting Renters from Illegal Evictions Act, with my colleague NDP MPP Jennie Stevens. If passed, the bill will protect tenants by:
- increasing government enforcement of eviction laws;
- granting more compensation to tenants facing a no-fault eviction;
- bringing in real fines for landlords who illegally evict
- providing access to legal representation for tenants who are facing a nofault eviction, and;
- creating a registry of landlords who evict tenants due to no fault of their own.
The stress of fighting a no-fault eviction forces many tenants out of their homes without a fair fight or fair compensation. Once evicted, renters are often pushed out of their communities because of sky-high rents. This puts tenants at risk of dislocation, housing unaffordability, mental health stress, and homelessness.
ACT NOW: Click here to support my bill cracking down on illegal evictions
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Minister Clark won’t support tenants threatened by eviction for using window AC units
In June of this year, MPP Bhutila Karpoche and I wrote to Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark to inform him about tenants of 130 Jameson Avenue receiving threats and eviction notices from their corporate landlords if they didn’t remove their window air-conditioning units. We called on Minister Clark and the Ford government to work with public health units to establish a provincial maximum temperature to ensure units are safe and a tenant’s right to a reasonable enjoyment of their unit is maintained.
In November, Minister Clark replied and confirmed that tenants are legally permitted to install air conditioning units according to the Residential Tenancies Act. However, he declined to seriously consider the issues we raised or the policy changes we recommended. Minister Clark stated that he believes “all Ontarians deserve to have a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home, especially our most vulnerable,” but his Ministry has not backed that up with action.
Only the Landlord and Tenant Board is empowered to evict tenants. However, every year Ontario renters are threatened with eviction by their landlord for reasons such as having a window air-conditioning unit. The real reason? Getting tenants out in order to significantly raise the rent. Rent for vacant apartments in Toronto have risen by 20% in the last year; landlords are financially incentivized to use loopholes to evict tenants.
Tenants deserve to live in safe, comfortable, and affordable housing that meets their needs. Confirming tenants are legally permitted to use air-conditioning units is encouraging, but more action is needed to protect renters.
I am calling on the Ford government to:
- Work with public health units to establish a provincial maximum temperature to ensure rental units are safe, and a tenants’ reasonable enjoyment of their unit is maintained.
- Legislate a tenant’s right to safely use window air conditioning units in accordance with all bylaws in the Residential Tenancies Act.
- Protect tenants against landlord harassment, including repeated threats to evict tenants for safely and legally using window air conditioning units.
- Upgrade Ontario’s Building Code and invest in a green job retrofit program to make housing more green and energy-efficient, without burdening tenants with rent hikes.
- Close the vacancy decontrol loophole in the Residential Tenancies Act and stabilize rents between tenants, thereby removing the incentive to evict tenants simply to raise rents.
- Partner with municipalities to grow urban forests to reduce the heat island effect and lower temperatures in towns and cities.
With the winter upon us, it is important to ensure that tenants can live safely and comfortably in their homes without fearing the threat of eviction. If you are concerned about this issue, I urge you to write to Minister Steve Clark and ask him to do the right thing for renters.
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Participate in pre-budget committee hearings
The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs is now accepting requests to appear in pre-budget consultations. If your group is able to travel consider applying for a hearing outside of Toronto and Ottawa. This will give you a better chance at securing a spot.
Venues TBC – DETAILS TO FOLLOW.
Stakeholders are encouraged to sign up for Committee using OLA web tool: https://www.ola.org/en/apply-committees?prvcachecommwf=1603744481518
Ø NOTE: If less than 25% of the slots filled in a location, the subcommittee can cancel and reschedule applicants elsewhere on an alternate date where possible.
HEARINGS (ten days) – 10:00am-12:00pm AND 1:00-6:00pm
- Mon 9 Jan (Kenora)
- Mon 10 Jan (Red Lake OR Sioux Lookout)
- Mon 23 Jan (Windsor)
- Mon 30 Jan (Sudbury)
- Tue 31 Jan (Sault Ste Marie)
- Thu 2 Feb (Timmins)
- Mon 6 Feb (Ottawa)
- Tue 7 Feb (Kingston)
- Mon 13 Feb (Barrie)
- Tue 14 Feb (Queen’s Park)
§ DEADLINES FOR REQUESTS TO APPEAR (Date Prioritized List due if oversubscribed):
- KENORA/RED LAKE/SIOUX LOOKOUT: Tue 3 Jan, 12:00pm (CST)
o Prioritized List due Wed 4 Jan, 2:00pm (CST)
- WINDSOR: Tue 17 Jan, 12:00pm
o Prioritized List due Wed 18 Jan, 2:00pm
- SUDBURY/SAULT STE MARIE/TIMMINS: Wed 24 Jan, 12:00pm
o Prioritized List due Wed 25 Jan, 2:00pm
- OTTAWA/KINGSTON: Tue 31 Jan, 12:00pm
o Prioritized List due Wed 1 Feb 2:00pm
- BARRIE/QUEEN’S PARK: Tue 7 Feb, 12:00pm
o Prioritized List due Wed 8 Feb, 2:00pm
§ Each witness panel is an hour, with three witnesses receiving seven (7) minutes each, and Caucus will have 15 minutes of questioning for the panel (two rounds of 7.5 minutes each)
- Deadline for Written Submissions: Tue 14 Feb, 7:00pm
REPORT WRITING (up to four days)
- Tue 28 Feb (Queen’s Park) – 9:00-10:15am AND 3:00-6:00pm
- Thu 2 Mar (Queen’s Park) – 9:00-10:15am AND 1:00-6:00pm
- Tue 7 Mar (Queen’s Park) – 9:00-10:15am AND 3:00-6:00pm
- Wed 8 Mar (Queen’s Park) – 9:00-10:15am AND 1:00-6:00pm
o Deadline for Dissenting Opinion TBC
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