What to know
- Teachers in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood are rallying in support of tenants on a rent strike at 75 Spencer Ave, citing concerns for students affected by a potential above-guideline rent increase (AGI).
- Residents began withholding rent on March 1 after property manager Metcap Living applied for a nearly 5.4% AGI with the Landlord and Tenant Board.
- Educators, including Ashleigh Doherty from Parkdale Public School, warn that rising rents and housing insecurity are impacting students’ well-being and could displace families from the community.
- Teachers are organizing a rally on March 26 to pressure landlord Kin Pong Chung to drop the rent increase, continuing a long history of tenant activism in Parkdale.
A group of teachers in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood are rallying in support of tenants on rent strikes, citing concerns about the impact of potential above-guideline rent increases on students.
On March 1, residents at 75 Spencer Ave began withholding rent from property manager Metcap Living and building owner Kin Pong Chung after Metcap applied to the Landlord and Tenant Board for a nearly 5.4 per cent above-guideline increase (AGI).
Read More
Teachers like Ashleigh Doherty, who teaches at Parkdale Public School, say they are joining the fight after witnessing how the situation is affecting students.
“Housing is a huge issue in Parkdale,” Doherty told Now Toronto. “And when we look at the well-being of students and families in our school, the number one thing really affecting them is insecure housing and the rising cost of living.”
Doherty fears that if the AGI is approved, it could displace families and students who cannot afford the higher rent.
“This is what these rent increases really mean, families being pushed out of our neighbourhood and our school community,” she said.
@nowtoronto Tenants at 75 Spencer Ave. in Toronto have launched a rent strike, after a proposed 5.4 per cent above-guideline rent increase. #Toronto #Parkdale ♬ original sound – Now Toronto
Tenants in the building have expressed the same concerns. Doherty adds that the stress caused by AGIs and escalating living costs inevitably spills into the classroom.
“We hear about kids knowing that their parents are stressed about paying these huge rents. We hear it when students get eviction notices, and we hear it when there are power outages or when a family is being harassed by their landlord,” she said.
In response, teachers are organizing a rally on March 26 at the corner of King Street West and Close Avenue in Parkdale.
“We want the landlord, Kin Pong Chung, to hear our message, these tenants are valued members of our community, and we aren’t going to let this rent increase go through,” Doherty said. “Until he drops the rent increase, he’s going to continue to hear from us.”
In 2025, the maximum allowable increase for rent-controlled buildings was 2.5 per cent. Landlords can apply for AGIs to cover the costs of capital repairs and building improvements.
Rent strikes are not new to Parkdale. In 2017, nearly 300 residents across five Metcap buildings went on rent strike from May to July to protest above-guideline increases, ultimately securing concessions.
