Canadian experts are raising concerns over Ontario’s proposed changes to tenant rights, even after the province said it won’t move forward with consultations.
Earlier this week, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack announced that the Ford government would not be moving forward with consultations for a proposed legislation that would keep tenants from having month-to-month leases.
“Our government is not proceeding with consultations on potential changes to Ontario’s tenancy lease framework regarding month-to-month leases. We will continue to implement other common-sense reforms to strengthen the province’s rental housing market,” Flack said in a statement shared on X.
Currently, tenants in Ontario have their lease automatically renewed month to month after their first year of contract, unless the landlord has a valid reason to vacate the unit and offer proper notice. Under the new proposal, the government planned to consult on options that would give landlords more control over tenancy agreements, being able to adjust rent and conditions anytime.
The controversial move is part of a bigger legislation moved by the Ford government last week, named Bill 60 – Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025.
Despite proposed changes to the month-to-month system, the legislation proposes a series of other changes, including no longer requiring landlords to compensate tenants in case they need the unit back for their own use, shortening time for both parties to request a Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) decision review, and other various measures.
The new legislation hopes to reduce delays and backlogs at the LTB, by “cracking down on abuse of the system,” according to Flack.
The move was met by significant backlash from tenancy advocates and the general public. According to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), about 23,000 residents have contacted Flack, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Attorney General Doug Downey, and their local MPPs to speak out against the measure.
EXPERTS STILL CONCERNED
In spite of the province backing down on changing month-to-month leases, Canadian experts are still expressing their concerns about Bill 60.
Co-Founding Partner of Collins & Metcalfe LLP Austen Metcalfe, who says he works with tenancy law, explains that the end of month-to-month leases could mean a significant increase in rent costs for many Ontarians.
“We’ve already lost rent control on units built after 2018, which I think is not good…If landlords were able to just stop the leases after a year, I think rents could skyrocket. I think that there would be no degree of certainty,” he told Now Toronto on Tuesday.
“It’s also expensive to move into something, it’s expensive to get it furnished, it’s expensive to get yourself in a place, and knowing that you might only be there 12 months. I just don’t think that’s the uncertainty that renters deserve in this market, when they’re paying the rents that they’re paying.”
Although Metcalfe says Flack’s announcement brought him some relief, there are still concerning aspects related to the legislation that could impact tenants. One of these measures includes the change that would reduce the time landlords and tenants have to request a review of an LTB decision, which the province says “would lead to faster resolutions and reduce the likelihood of landlords and tenants experiencing financial losses.”
“The board might take a second look at what’s going on or address the issue that you’ve brought up. But if you reduce the amount of time that people have to do that, people are busy, they have kids, they have jobs, they have lives, and if you make that a shorter time, basically, you’re setting them up to miss it,” he said.
Similarly, Ontario Research Director and Senior Researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), Ricardo Tranjan, says he is still concerned over other aspects of the bill, including several changes that would make it easier for landlords to evict tenants.
“I think there’s still a huge concern with changes regarding evictions. There are a number of proposed changes that would essentially streamline evictions, giving tenants fewer protections against evictions, making the whole process not only quicker, but removing from the process the opportunities for the tenants to make their case,” he said.
“I’m still concerned, and I think it’s important for us to take a step back and think about how those proposed changes came about.”
He says he hopes Ontarians will reflect about these changes, and that mayors in the province would stand up against the changes.
Although matters related to housing are often the responsibility of the provincial and federal governments, Tranjan says that oftentimes cities are left to deal with consequences of new measures.
“A lot of what we see in terms of weak tenant protections and lack of affordability is a result of inaction on the federal and provincial levels,” he said. “Not to exempt cities, but there is a dynamic where decisions made at a federal and provincial level impact and create consequences that cities have to live with, and this is a perfect example of that.”
Meanwhile, Metcalfe says he believes the government should try a different approach to reduce backlogs at the LTB, including investing more in legal clinics and the board itself, so more tenants are able to access support quickly.
“If there are concerns from landlords about units being tied up because tenants aren’t paying their rent and it takes forever to get a hearing. Invest more money in that board, get the hearing, let the two parties have their fair hearing, and let the board decide,” he said.
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