Hamilton housing and climate advocates protest Ontario's proposed 'More Homes Built Faster Act'

Roughly 50 people gathered outside a Progressive Conservative constituency office in Hamilton on Thursday to protest a new proposed housing bill several groups say will be detrimental to tenants and the environment. 

Members of organizations such as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) — a tenant advocacy group with chapters in the Hamilton area — Environment Hamilton and Stop Sprawl HamOnt rallied outside MPP for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek Neil Lumsden's office, sharing concerns about the "More Homes Built Faster Act."

The demonstration in Stoney Creek was part of protests in other Ontario cities like London, Toronto and Ottawa.

The legislation, also known as Bill 23, is expected to be passed soon and is part of Premier Doug Ford's promise to build 1.5 million homes in 10 years.

It proposes a number of changes, including:

Marnie Schurter, co-chair of ACORN's Hamilton Mountain chapter, told the crowd Thursday she had concerns about the timing of the bill.

"We are extremely disappointed the bill was announced right after the municipal election with the timeline to pass before new councils across the province are sworn in," Schurter said.

"The bill is focused on creating more [housing] supply but has little consideration for affordable housing and tenant protection."

Schurter said the legislation would make it harder to fight against property owners upping the cost of rent after renovations or demolitions. She said lower-income residents will be hit hardest.

A new report from the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton (SPRC) shows the number of renters in the city is growing at five times the rate of the number of homeowners.

Sara Mayo, a social planner with SPRC, said tenants should be able to see how much a past tenant paid for rent and should be able to appeal rent increases.

Gachi Issa, Hamilton Community Legal Clinic's Black justice co-ordinator, said she fears the bill will also impact people of colour living in the city, adding that the government's definition of affordable housing is unrealistic.

Schurter and others taped a letter to the front door of Lumsden's office, outlining some of their concerns.

Conservation Halton and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) issued statements recently about the legislation.