These seniors face a 20% rent increase — and Ontario rules make it legal
CBC
Kim Tanaszczuk watches as her daughter helps pack her belongings in the one-bedroom apartment she calls home in Russell, Ont.
She hasn't been here long — Tanaszczuk moved into the seniors building in August 2021 — but said she needs to move out because she can no longer afford to pay the rent.
Rent increases are normal and expected though they're usually subject to rent control guidelines. Landlords are permitted to raise rents by 2.5 per cent in 2023, a limit set by the province of Ontario.
But Tanaszczuk and other tenants were shocked when they received a notice earlier this year that their expected monthly payments would jump, in some cases by 25 per cent, and even more disturbed to learn it was perfectly legal.
A change introduced by the province in 2018 exempted new rental units first occupied after Nov. 15 of that year from rent control.
"This will help create market‐based incentives for supply growth that will encourage an increase in housing supply to meet the needs of the people of Ontario," reads the Progressive Conservative's 2018 fiscal update.
"I'm just outraged," said Tanaszczuk, who was asked to pay $100 more in monthly rent starting in December.
"I think it's greed. I think it's usury. I think it's extortion."
Tanaszczuk, who wasn't aware of the rule change when she moved into the building, said she now has no choice but to leave.
"We all grew up with rent control. It would never occur to us that it didn't exist," she said.
Tanaszczuk still considers herself one of the lucky ones, already having found another, more affordable home to move into — unlike her upstairs neighbour Cindy McMurray, whose rent will soon be $1,400 a month for her one-bedroom apartment, an increase of more than $200.
"I wanted to throw up. I cried for a week," she said. "I got frozen, trying to think of how I move forward. What do I do? Where do I go?"
Tanaszczuk and McMurray are both unable to work and because they're seniors, they have a fixed income.
Another tenant, who CBC has agreed not to name because they fear repercussions from the landlord for speaking out, is also facing a more than $200 increase in rent.
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This First Person column is the experience of Mehdi M. Kashani, who lives in Toronto. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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