TORONTO — Ontario housing advocates are sounding the alarm over Premier Doug Ford’s new housing proposal, warning it could dismantle key tenant protections — including rent control and indefinite leases — across the province.
The government introduced the sweeping housing bill on Thursday, promoting it as a plan to speed up development approvals and boost housing supply. But buried in the details is language suggesting “alternative options to lease expiry rules” that could let landlords decide who occupies their units and for how long, based on “market conditions, personal needs, or business strategies.”
Tenant groups say the change could effectively end security of tenure, the right that currently allows renters to remain in their homes indefinitely as long as they follow their lease terms and Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act.
“This is not the solution for affordable housing — it’s an attack on tenants,” said Stacey Semple of ACORN, a housing and social justice group. “Landlords are getting a free pass to evict long-term tenants just to hike rents.”
Tenant Security at Risk
Under current rules, Ontario renters can remain in their units month-to-month after a lease ends, and landlords cannot evict without a valid reason. Advocates fear the new proposal would allow landlords to terminate leases more easily, paving the way for higher rents and widespread displacement.
Toronto, where nearly half of residents (48%) are renters, would be hit hardest, Semple warned. “This will push more people into homelessness and encampments. It’s about profit, not people,” she said.
The Ford government insists the bill is still under consultation. A provincial spokesperson said Ontario remains committed to “protecting tenants while supporting landlords, including mom-and-pop property owners.” The statement also highlighted the 2025 rent increase guideline, capped below inflation at 2.5 per cent.
Widespread Backlash
The proposal has sparked outrage among renters and opposition parties. Longtime Toronto tenant Leigh Beadon, who has lived in the same apartment for nearly 20 years, called the plan “shocking.” His post on X, formerly Twitter, received over 100,000 views.
“This directly attacks every single tenant in Ontario,” Beadon said. “Security of tenure is the only thing keeping many of us — especially seniors and people on fixed incomes — from homelessness.”
Critics across the political spectrum echoed his concerns. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said the proposal gives landlords “enormous powers,” urging fairness in any consultations.
Ontario Liberal housing critic Adil Shamji blasted the bill as “mean-spirited,” saying it “ignores the injustices tenants face.” He contrasted the proposed one-year lease limits with Ford’s recent 99-year lease deal for a foreign spa company at Ontario Place.
Ontario NDP housing critic Catherine McKenney warned the plan could trigger “mass evictions” during a housing affordability crisis. “Ford is making life even more expensive for Ontarians,” she said. “The answer is building more homes, not trampling renter rights. We need real rent control now.”
Tenants Push Back
Tenant groups say the proposal could reignite the kind of grassroots rent strikes and protests seen in Thorncliffe Park and other Toronto communities in recent years.
“Tenants have scored big wins by organizing,” Beadon said. “If this proposal moves forward, we need to stand together and fight back. That’s the only hope we have left.”
As the province moves ahead with consultations, Ontario’s 1.4 million renter households are watching closely — fearing a shift that could reshape the province’s rental landscape for decades to come.