Discussion regarding recommendations 1-5 of item 9.1, the Municipal Scan of Renoviction By-laws…

21:48And before we go to the delegations,

21:50I'm going to actually turn to Mayor Guthrie

21:52who would like to speak to this item.

21:57Thank you so much, Chair.

21:58Thank you, everybody.

22:00Sorry I can't be there in person today.

22:03I just wanted to thank everybody

22:05that I believe has maybe showed up in the chambers

22:08or maybe watching right now

22:11or calling in to delegate in regards to this topic.

22:15I did want to just let everyone know transparently

22:18ever since this item got added

22:21to the agenda item for today,

22:24myself and council has been made aware

22:27that there's actually a basket

22:29or a suite of lots of options

22:31in regards to housing issues coming to council

22:36on October the 8th.

22:38And I'm actually really excited

22:41that that is going to have a suite of choices

22:45and other options for us to look at.

22:48So today we felt it was important

22:50to still have this run evictions discussion today,

22:54especially because it's on the agenda,

22:56members of the community have rallied together

22:59to speak to it, members of council are interested in this.

23:03And so I just wanted to give a heads up

23:06as to say number one, thank you everyone.

23:09And then number two is at the end of the day,

23:12up to council's will, but if the will of council

23:15is to perhaps defer any action on this

23:19just to October the 8th,

23:21when we can also have further discussion

23:24on other housing options, that may be the outcome of today.

23:27And that doesn't mean in any sense at all

23:31that your council members are not interested in this issue,

23:35but in the context of that basket of options

23:38that's coming on October the 8th,

23:40this may very well land a little bit better there.

23:44With that, I just wanna thank you, Chair,

23:48for allowing me to set the stage a little bit here

23:50for the discussion.

23:51And I'm looking forward to hearing from the delegates.

23:56I want to just say that this is an issue

23:59that's an issue across Ontario,

24:01it's across the country actually.

24:04And it's a growing issue.

24:06And it's something that I think deserves a discussion

24:09here at the council chambers.

24:11I also wanna in advance just thank both councillor,

24:15Kate and councillor Richardson,

24:18who have also reached out to have a lot of effort

24:21into this issue as well and to advocate

24:24for the discussion that we're about to have today.

24:26So with that, I'll be quiet and thank you, Chair Busuttil.

24:30I'll turn it over to you.

24:32Thank you so much.

24:33Thank you.

24:34So just to be clear, this decision

24:36or this fuller conversation will happen on October 8th.

24:40We are still proceeding with the delegations.

24:42And just for the delegations here, you have five minutes.

24:46At four minutes and 30 seconds,

24:48you'll hear a chime just to start wrapping up.

24:51At the end of your delegation, stay at the podium.

24:54It gives councillors an opportunity to ask for questions

24:57of a clarifying nature to your presentation.

25:01I'm going to start with Daniel Kaufman and Morgan Dandy.

25:05I see you there.

25:07You're up next.

25:08So Daniel, if you'd like to come up.

25:19It's on, cool.

25:21All right, thank you for having me today.

25:23Thank you, Cam, for helping bring this issue up

25:25and speaking with me a few weeks ago.

25:27And thank you to the council for listening.

25:30So yeah, I'm here to speak on my personal experiences

25:33with the renovations that are going on in Guelph.

25:35So as some of you may know,

25:37currently there is a situation at Brent Avenue

25:40as well as other places on Brent.

25:42I'm sure around Guelph as well,

25:44with landlords who are coming in

25:46and basically asking tenants to leave for renovations,

25:50disrupting and misinforming.

25:51So first I just like to give an account

25:53of my personal experience with this whole situation.

25:56So personally, I've lived in Guelph for 12 years

25:58and in my building for 10.

26:01Just this past year in January,

26:02we got a notice that the building

26:05had been transferred over to new ownership.

26:08A few months go by, we're hoping it's not gonna be anything big.

26:11Some tenants are sounding some alarms though about it.

26:15First thing we have is we have a stove breakdown.

26:17It's in our lease, we think, okay,

26:19just have to talk to the landlord

26:20and get that fixed because that's in our lease.

26:25No response, we've never received any response from them.

26:27So they're ignoring maintenance to begin with.

26:29Then June comes by and we start getting notices

26:32all of a sudden with very short notice

26:34about for example, we had storage lockers

26:36that we were told there was a fire hazard

26:39and they had to be removed with all our stuff within two weeks

26:42and any belongings within would be thrown out.

26:44We have checked with the fire department.

26:46There was no fire inspection given for that.

26:49Additionally, they started telling us

26:51about municipal legislation deeming

26:54that they would be charging us for AC units in our building

26:57despite that prior never being the case

27:00with anything and not being in our lease.

27:02And then finally, come July, one month after those,

27:07we get an eviction notice from N13 telling us

27:09that we are going to have our leases terminated,

27:13they have no choice, we need you up October 30th,

27:17which scared a lot of people.

27:18Within the day, I was around talking to tenants,

27:20a lot of them not knowing any of their rights,

27:23a lot of them scared, a lot of them thinking,

27:25we're already being harassed with this stuff,

27:28I don't trust my rights here or anything like that,

27:30I'm just going to leave.

27:33And that's been the main issue that we've had

27:35is that it's been a lot of fear mongering of tenants,

27:37a lot of tenants that are afraid.

27:42Yeah, sorry.

27:48So the main issues that I've had is the lack of transparency,

27:51being able to blatantly tell tenants stuff

27:53that's not true, misinforming them.

27:55A lot of our people in our building are seniors.

27:58Just recently the other day, for this specific landlord,

28:02there was a meeting with Acorn,

28:03which is the tenant advocacy organization,

28:05and a lot of people showed up, most of those seniors,

28:07that's kind of who's being targeted right now.

28:09Lawnarable people, people who, some of them,

28:12when we talked about this council meeting,

28:13weren't sure if they were going to be able to make it in

28:15because they're afraid of like,

28:16I don't know how to work a computer and stuff like that.

28:18That's a lot of who's being targeted here.

28:20They're primarily targeting people

28:22in low income households and stuff.

28:26Me personally, I work at a grocery store.

28:29My father, who's there, is retired.

28:31We can't really afford to move somewhere else

28:33and stay together, and he's getting old.

28:34He might need me to take care of him.

28:36I can't do that if we're not able to stay

28:37in the same place anymore, as well as a lot of other tenants.

28:40The ones who were scared,

28:41and have already taken cash for keys and left,

28:44it's unfortunate for them,

28:45they're probably going to be paying double the rent

28:47that they are now.

28:49My concern is mostly just with the general lack of information

28:53and harassment, more or less, from this landlord,

28:55that we're expecting to see in the future too,

28:57because of their track record.

28:58There's little accountability for it.

28:59There's little protections,

29:01and as well, just as I said before,

29:04misinforming tenants, we have been told repeatedly

29:07that we're not coming back.

29:10Property managers have told tenants

29:12that after these renovations,

29:13despite the right of first refusal, no.

29:18We need, I believe, with these bylaws,

29:20much more transparency given to tenants.

29:22I know that law, this is going to be mirroring

29:24what was done in Hamilton, hopefully.

29:26I believe there's just small additional things

29:28that need to be also given with that.

29:31For example, we can't have it where landlords

29:34are misinforming tenants,

29:35especially vulnerable old tenants

29:36who don't know their rights.

29:38If you're giving an N13, you should not be saying

29:40we have no choice to terminate your lease.

29:41No, you should be giving, that should be vetted.

29:43First of all, any messaging you want to give

29:45about the N13 should be vetted beforehand.

29:47And just, yeah, proper information given to tenants

29:50so they're not afraid, so people don't think,

29:52I have no choice here, it's big guy versus little guy.

29:56Anyhow, that's most of what I wanted to say today.

29:59I just would like to see more accountability,

30:00more transparency enforced with these landlords.

30:04And that's pretty much all, thank you.

30:06Thank you, Daniel.

30:07I'm just gonna check and see if there are questions.

30:09I see the mayor and Councillor O'Rourke.

30:14Thank you, and through you, Chair,

30:16thank you very much for delegating.

30:18One of the things that, and I know I've talked to you

30:21about this and with others, is sort of a lot of the

30:26frustration that actually municipalities have

30:28in regards to this situation, not just wealth,

30:31but the fact that a lot of it rests at the province.

30:34Specifically, one of the, or a couple of the motions

30:38that are before us today, one of them is about

30:42the sort of transparency issue of rights.

30:46And other cities have posted like a landing page

30:51on websites at the municipal level to have that information

30:56be easily accessible, easily understood,

30:59so that people could understand a little bit

31:01about the rights of tenants,

31:03even though a lot of it rests at the province.

31:05Do you think that that would be a worthwhile thing

31:09for not just you, but for others that you've spoken to,

31:12that at the municipal level in wealth,

31:15we have some sort of a landing page and documentation

31:18so that we can inform people of what their rights are?

31:22Yeah, I saw that in the agenda as well,

31:23is that it was something that was suggested.

31:25I've seen the Hamilton one for that,

31:27I thought that was good.

31:28My concern again is like I said before,

31:30there's older tenants who don't know how to use technology,

31:32who don't go to look at this site to begin with.

31:35That's why I'm saying that I don't know how,

31:38I don't know how much we can get into it

31:39on the municipal level, but again,

31:42we're talking about doing permits and stuff

31:44for renovations and stuff like that.

31:47Just requiring that like, hey, if you give an N13,

31:50you have to, at that point,

31:51you have to basically give the information as well

31:55about their rights and stuff like that,

31:57or direct them towards the landing page on wealth,

31:59at the very least is what I would like to see.

32:04Great, thank you very much.

32:05Thank you, Madam Chair.

32:07Thank you, I have Councillor O'Rourke

32:09and Councillor Karen, I believe, yes.

32:13Thank you, Chair Busetil.

32:14Thank you so much for delegating.

32:16Appreciate it, and for helping the folks in your building.

32:20You said that the landlord has said,

32:24you're just not coming back,

32:25you're allowed to come back, but you're not coming back.

32:27Can you help me understand that?

32:28That is what the speakers here say,

32:29but I have had other tenants tell me that.

32:31The property manager came by a few months ago

32:34to have one-on-one meetings with tenants

32:36discussing cash for keys.

32:38And for what I've heard,

32:39he was not very cordial with some of the tenants.

32:42In fact, on the way out,

32:43somebody took his picture and he threatened the zoo,

32:45not a very level-headed thing to do.

32:49But yeah.

32:50Okay, and through you, Chair Busetil,

32:53just another question,

32:54and I'm really sorry that this is happening in your building.

32:59I think it's unconscionable.

33:02You said there were a few things you would like to see added

33:04to the recommendations or to the constraints

33:08around renovations.

33:09What would those be?

33:10Because I know you ran out of time.

33:11Well, it was mostly just about the transparency.

33:13It was about making sure that tenants are fully informed.

33:17Just additionally,

33:18I know a lot of this mirrors what Hamilton does.

33:20I'd like to see just that as a minimum

33:22of the strengths that we have for the front of the picture.

33:24I've also had something talked about,

33:26suggested to me through peers

33:28about possibly having ever landlord registry

33:31where tenants are able to see who their landlord is.

33:33Because it took some deep diving

33:35to actually find our landlord.

33:37It took accountants friends going through documentation,

33:41and it's tough to try and find where this guy traces back to.

33:46I don't find that acceptable,

33:47because also that just means generally that we can't,

33:51I don't think many of us are very litigious,

33:53but even if we wanted to,

33:54we have a hard time serving him in court

33:55because we don't have an address or anything

33:56or the building is anything.

33:59Just a lack of transparency again.

34:01Yeah, okay.

34:02And a last question, Chair Busetil.

34:05You said that some of the seniors in your building

34:08don't know how to delegate

34:10or would be concerned about coming.

34:14Would it be helpful if our clerk's office

34:16reached out to you to tell them how they can do that?

34:17They could write a letter physically and send it in.

34:20We know this is coming back as an agenda item in October.

34:25But would you please convey to them

34:26that we'd like to hear from them as well?

34:28Oh yes, we've been very fortunate actually,

34:29because there's been several of us organizing.

34:31I'm not the only one that,

34:32I'm the one I guess that's came here to speak.

34:34I'm not sure if there's anybody else

34:35from our building that's coming,

34:36but we've been very fortunate with organization

34:38and spreading of information.

34:40Some of it not immediately,

34:42which is why some people took the cartridge keys deal

34:44and like didn't take the time to go through it unfortunately.

34:47Bye.

34:48Okay, thank you.

34:49Thank you, thank you for your time.

34:51Thank you, Councillor Kerr-On.

34:53Yes, thank you.

34:54Again, voicing my colleagues dismay

34:59that this is happening to you

35:00and everything that you've described to me,

35:02my understanding is covered

35:04under the Residential Tendencies Act,

35:06but that when you applied to the landlord tenant board

35:11for a hearing,

35:12that one of the key issues and challenges

35:15is getting a hearing date.

35:16So I'm wondering whether or not you've challenged

35:19what is obviously violations of the RTA

35:23and whether you were able to get a hearing

35:26and what was the timeliness of that hearing?

35:29So as of now, there is no hearing set,

35:31not that we've informed of.

35:33We have been speaking with legal representation,

35:35such as paralegals and stuff,

35:37which would help to organize stuff.

35:41But as from what I've heard again,

35:43not expecting a hearing anytime soon,

35:45which is fortunate because we do have time to organize,

35:47time to research, time to talk.

35:51Yeah, no hearing as of now,

35:53but we are planning to organize

35:55and for example, for maintenance requests

35:56and stuff like that, we're gonna start filing stuff,

35:59just other complaints that we have

36:00so that when we do come to a hearing,

36:01we'll be well organized and well equipped for it.

36:05Thank you for that.

36:07Councillor Halt.

36:11Thank you.

36:12Through you to Mr. Kaufman.

36:14Mr. Kaufman, thank you for delegating.

36:17Quick questions.

36:19Organizing is very important.

36:21I appreciate you stating that.

36:22I'm wondering what kind of input

36:25you would like to provide to staff

36:28between now and the beginning of October

36:30when a more comprehensive analysis

36:35of what can be done in wealth.

36:38What would you like to see as around table

36:43or any other possible meeting with staff?

36:48Well, first of all, I definitely plan to show up

36:49on the eighth if this issue is going to be disgusting in there.

36:55As of now, I just think it's good

36:56that we're talking about this stuff.

36:58I'm very grateful to support that we have concerning it.

37:04I'll take this.

37:07All I'll do then is I'll suggest to staff

37:10in the question period that consideration be made

37:14to become engaged, if not already,

37:16with tenants advocates on this issue.

37:21The next issue is I was wondering if you could please

37:23outline what role legal aid has played so far

37:27and what has been the input from both the county

37:29and our local MPP when you've been addressing this.

37:33Have you felt listened to?

37:34Have you felt that action would be taking place

37:38at the legal level and at the political level

37:43from the counties and the local MPP?

37:46So legal aid has actually been great.

37:48Just recently in the past couple of weeks,

37:50we had a meeting with them.

37:51We're all tenants that were in the neighborhood.

37:53We're combined, not just from our building

37:54with our situation, but one's down the road

37:56at another location on Victoria.

37:58They came, they spoke with us,

37:59they helped for the tenants,

38:01just assure them of their rights and stuff like that.

38:05Also had, like I said, we had the paralegals come by

38:07and they spoke on the situation that they've been doing

38:09with the same landlord in other cities.

38:12I think the turnout has been very good in terms of help,

38:14in terms of listening.

38:16Mayor Guthrie met with a couple of us.

38:18I thought that was really great, honestly.

38:22Not something I knew to expect

38:23when this all started, honestly.

38:26It's been great.

38:27A lot of support, even I say from local landlords,

38:30I work at a grocery store.

38:31A lot of people recognize me.

38:33Funny enough, I've had local landlords go like,

38:35hey, I own property and wealth, I rent out,

38:37but these guys are getting away with,

38:40compared to what a small landlord does,

38:44much more personal landlords.

38:46Those landlords that we have on the local level

38:48don't agree either with what's going on.

38:51So you feel comfortable with what the county

38:53and our local MPP have been doing as well?

38:58I like what I've seen so far.

38:59And I'm hoping to, again, show up tomorrow,

39:01get more involved and see things go well.

39:05Thank you.

39:06Perfect, thank you very much.

39:08Councillor Katelyn.

39:10Thank you, through you, Chair.

39:13So one of the items that we have on our list

39:16for the potential package is to have staff look

39:22into potential fines.

39:24And I know that a lot of municipalities

39:27do this differently.

39:28Is there anything that you would be looking forward to

39:33in terms of levels of fines or the legislation around that?

39:39Well, I think one of the first big things

39:41that I've noticed with some of the fines

39:42on just general stuff with this

39:44is that it doesn't reflect actually what the market is.

39:47For example, one of the things that this landlord does,

39:50which is a bit infamous, is he is known for evicting tents,

39:53getting them the boot,

39:55and then you have what is called the right of first refusal

39:57where you can come back to your unit at the same price.

40:00However, what he's been known to do

40:02is he will just put another tenant in there

40:03while you're out.

40:04The timeframe he gave for our renovations,

40:06six to nine months, we've seen them done through weeks.

40:10So his plan is to try and get this done

40:12and get other tenants in so you can evict them.

40:14And the only fine for that is one year

40:16and what you paid in rent and moving expenses.

40:19I find that unacceptable because what happens then

40:22is if he's doubling the rents,

40:24that's just a cost of business.

40:25In half a year, he's topped that up.

40:27If not more, he's starting for utilities as well.

40:30Yeah, the fines are not anywhere near adequate

40:33for to disincentivize this type of thing,

40:35especially when it's done on a mass scale.

40:38Because yeah, in our own building,

40:39we have I believe 44, 45 units.

40:44So a lot of the families are all being displaced.

40:46I'd say at least 30 of those tenants

40:49have received eviction notices.

40:52Just pennies as a business expense

40:54because yeah, within six months,

40:56that's pretty much all covered.

41:00Thank you very much.

41:03Any further questions?

41:05Seeing none, thank you very much, Daniel.

41:07Okay, thank you for your time.

41:09I'm gonna call up Morgan Dandy.

41:19Welcome, Morgan.

41:28Well, the mayor may have decided

41:29to bring this report forward.

41:30I recognize the hours of dedicated work staff have put in

41:34to the renovation bylaw monitoring

41:36to advocate to AMO last month,

41:38as well as the work done by counselors,

41:40Kate and all, and Richardson

41:42that allowed the mayor to do so today.

41:46Committee members, today you have the opportunity

41:49to shape the creation of a bylaw

41:51to protect rental tenants in Gualph,

41:55which are approximately 33% of the people in this country.

42:00The tenant class is seen as less than,

42:04as having an incomplete life.

42:07Because the Canadian dream is home ownership.

42:12This is seen as being all grown up.

42:16Yet 70% of heads of tenant households are over 35,

42:21with 22% over the age of 65.

42:26The misrepresentation of the landlord class

42:28as struggling mom and pop is a contributing factor

42:32to the acceptance of renovictions

42:35that's been happening until lately.

42:39I've been reading this book called The Tenant Class,

42:41and on page 69, sorry, on page 39, it states,

42:46in fact, Canada's landlord class comprises wealthy families,

42:51small businesses, corporations, and financial investors.

42:58When you do a breakdown of the approximate,

43:00which is really hard to get because it's fluctuating,

43:05there's hundreds of thousands of rental units

43:06going in and out every year,

43:08but the basic breakdown that tenants have available

43:12to them in their choices, 12% non-market rental,

43:1738% private rental, which means both those landlords

43:22that have more than one property,

43:25and those true mom and pops that rent out part

43:29of the place that they live.

43:3322% is small business, 20% is corporate,

43:36and 8% are financialized landlords, also known as REITs.

43:42Purpose-built rentals make up about 50%

43:45of what tenant options are,

43:48and the small business corporate

43:49and financialized landlords are the ones

43:52this bylaw must focus on regulating.

43:57On page 50 of this book, it states, quote, in 2021,

44:02a Toronto mom and pop landlord could collect nearly

44:06$3 million of rent for each average-sized building.

44:12Let me repeat that, 3 million for each average-sized building,

44:17and we all know that Guelph rents are comparable to Toronto.

44:22Why should you listen to this author?

44:24His name's Ricardo Tranjan, and he is a senior researcher

44:30at the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives,

44:34a public policy think tank,

44:36and he regularly participates in policy debates

44:40with academics, researchers, and other institutes

44:43and analysts in government.

44:45He also frequently speaks to the media

44:47about the housing crisis and other policy issues.

44:51I would love for staff to all read this book

44:55and get a new understanding of what it is

44:58to actually be a tenant today.

45:03In a news article titled,

45:04The Middle Class Housing Crisis,

45:06the Toronto Star Warrants,

45:07that if rent control were suddenly deceased,

45:10many families would suddenly be confronted

45:12by the danger of eviction or the necessity

45:14to find other accommodation

45:16because they could not afford to stay where they were.

45:18An investigative news story in McLean's

45:20contends the housing crisis,

45:22which shows no immediate signs of easing,

45:25is fueling tenant organizing across the country.

45:28In Quebec, Le Devoie reports on a press conference

45:31organized by tenant committees

45:32demanding provincial investment in affordable housing.

45:36A commentary published in a BC magazine argues

45:39that we must have more homes

45:40and we must have them at prices people can afford to pay.

45:44For many readers, these stories sound like

45:46a random selection of last week's news.

45:49They could have been.

45:50The housing crisis is a recurring topic in Canadian media

45:54with hardly a week going by,

45:56where we do not hear new and daunting findings

45:58about how unaffordable housing has become.

46:01Also the dominant theme in public policy circles

46:04where housing crisis comes up regardless

46:06of the topic of discussion.

46:09All this fuss conceals the fact

46:10that political struggle over housing is old news.

46:13The Toronto Star article was from 1950.

46:15The McLean story appeared in 1969.

46:18The Montreal Press Conference took place in 1980

46:21and the BC commentary dates back to 1911.

46:26There is no actual housing crisis.

46:29That's right, there is no crisis.

46:32Thank you.

46:33I'm just going to ask if there are any questions

46:35on Morgan's presentation.

46:41Seeing none, thank you very much, Morgan.

46:44Next, Debbie Gorman.

46:49Okay, thank you.

46:51Thank you for being here, Debbie.

46:52I'll connect with you.

46:54Next is Myra Freeman.

46:59Is Myra here?

47:04Okay, and then Dominica McPherson and Nicole Hammond next.

47:24Hello, everyone.

47:26Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you

47:28tonight this afternoon in support of these important motions.

47:33I also want to thank city staff for their work on this,

47:36for members of council for your specific advocacy

47:38on this for some time.

47:40And to those of you who spoke and are speaking tonight,

47:44those of you that wrote in letters of support,

47:45those of you that are here,

47:47and to all of the individuals experiencing these issues

47:50in our community today for their ongoing advocacy.

47:54I want to begin by acknowledging the increase

47:56in renovictions that we are seeing across the city.

47:59It's reflective of a broader trend

48:01and becoming a bigger issue.

48:03Ontario has seen a 300% increase in N13 evictions since 2017,

48:10and we've been increasingly hearing from our partners

48:13and community members about the renovictions

48:15they're facing.

48:16These renovictions where tenants are forced out

48:19under the guise of renovations or through conversions

48:21or demolitions are destabilizing,

48:24creating housing insecurity and directly undermining

48:27our efforts to provide affordable housing and wealth.

48:30People who are displaced during these renovations

48:33are often promised the right to move back in,

48:36but in practice this rarely happens,

48:38which you heard tonight.

48:40Too many tenants are unable to afford

48:42the temporary accommodation required during construction,

48:45which means they never return.

48:48This is, in effect, a loss of their home,

48:50a loss of their community, and loss of affordability.

48:55The motions before you tonight provide a real opportunity

48:58to change this trajectory by protecting tenants

49:02and ensuring that landlords fulfill their obligations.

49:05In neighboring municipalities,

49:07we've seen renovation bylaws successfully enacted.

49:10These bylaws safeguard affordable housing

49:13while ensuring the integrity of any new housing development.

49:17If we are serious about housing affordability,

49:20Guelph must join these municipalities

49:22in protecting the homes we already have

49:25alongside creating new housing.

49:28We all agree that we need new housing

49:31to meet growing demand, but we cannot lose sight

49:34of the critical importance of protecting

49:36the affordable housing that already exists.

49:40When people are forced out of their homes

49:42due to renovictions and cannot return,

49:44those affordable units are often lost permanently,

49:48replaced with market rate housing

49:50that many can no longer afford.

49:52We have to ensure that when development happens,

49:55it does not displace or financially devastate

49:58the very people we're trying to serve.

50:01Landlords are engaging in a business,

50:03providing homes for people,

50:05and just like any other business,

50:07it makes sense to regulate that business

50:09through a licensing program.

50:10In the same way we license stores, daycares, contractors,

50:15we should be licensing those in the business

50:17of providing housing,

50:18ensuring accountability and transparency.

50:22This is not about creating obstacles for landlords.

50:25It's about protecting basic rights,

50:27ensuring fair treatment,

50:29and preserving housing security for Guelph residents.

50:33I know there are concerns about the administrative costs

50:36associated with implementing these motions

50:38or a renovation by-law or other pieces mentioned,

50:42but I would encourage you to think of this

50:43not as an expense,

50:44but as an investment in housing security.

50:47You can't put a price on people's right to housing.

50:51The reality is that the city will pay one way or another,

50:55whether it's through the costs of preventing housing crises

50:58or managing the fallout of homelessness and displacement.

51:01The administrative cost of preventing housing loss,

51:04I would argue, is a fraction of what it costs

51:07to manage the long-term impacts of unaffordable housing,

51:10which in the past you could argue

51:11would impact other levels of government,

51:13we've increasingly seen that playing out

51:15at a municipal level.

51:17These motions also represent a strategic alignment

51:20with Guelph Housing Affordability Plan

51:22to advance solutions,

51:23rather than simply managing the problem or worse,

51:27further marginalizing people who are already struggling.

51:31Should you wish to align these motions

51:33with the work of the plan,

51:34which you've expressed earlier?

51:36I encourage you to prioritize a renovation by-law

51:39and related work as part of broader commitments

51:42to both create new affordable housing

51:44and preserve what we currently have.

51:46And I know I can count on you for this

51:48as you've been champions for the right to housing

51:51and housing-focused solutions in the past.

51:54This is your opportunity to be proactive

51:56and support a true solution,

51:58to ensure that affordable housing is protected

52:01and that tenants have the right to stay in their homes,

52:03even as our city grows and changes.

52:06I urge you to support these motions,

52:08whether today or in the future,

52:10and show our community that we are committed

52:12to housing security and affordability for all.

52:15Thank you for your time.

52:17Thank you.

52:18Are there any questions of the delegation?

52:21Councillor Allt?

52:24Thank you very much, Chair Boussatiel.

52:26Through you to the delegate, Ms. McPherson.

52:29Ms. McPherson, you made reference in a general sense

52:34to those who have been unsuccessful at reoccupying

52:38a least dwelling from which they have been, quote,

52:43rent evicted.

52:45Do you have any concrete statistics

52:48that would help us in what we are putting together

52:52in October?

52:54So at the moment, I don't,

52:55but what I will say is we've identified a need

52:59for better data on rental housing in our community

53:02and what's proposed in these motions could help with that.

53:06The data we have available based on the primary rental market,

53:09we don't really have a sense of what's happening

53:11in the secondary rental market.

53:13That's actually been identified through the amazing work

53:15your city staff are doing on the housing affordability

53:18strategy.

53:19So I would actually say to your point, Phil,

53:20there's some data you could get from the Guelph,

53:23the legal clinic here locally who have told me

53:25they've seen a rise and end 13 evictions.

53:28But beyond that, really we got to get a better sense

53:31of our secondary rental market.

53:33And then it gives us both access to what that looks like,

53:36but also communication channels to tenants

53:38because we now know where people are living.

53:41Thank you very much.

53:42I will be following up.

53:43You've just given me a couple of avenues

53:46to which I can investigate.

53:48Thank you, Chair Prasadjil.

53:50I have Councillor Chew.

53:54Thank you, Madam Chair.

53:56I just wanted to get a better picture

53:59of the administrative burden that you have alluded to

54:03during your delegation.

54:04I think we all recognize the growing need to address this

54:07as a city and we're quite united on that.

54:10However, there are some costs associated

54:15from a human resources perspective.

54:17And this might be more of a question

54:18for our general manager, but from your perspective,

54:22how do you see us reconciling the administrative task

54:26of actually enforcing this?

54:28Yeah, thank you for that question.

54:31It might be too soon to speak to this,

54:34but I'm gonna take the risk and say it.

54:35I think the public space bylaw that you recently passed,

54:39which arguably will probably have

54:41significant administrative costs with it to be determined.

54:45But I like to think that if we had better policy mechanisms

54:47like this in place and more solutions oriented pieces

54:51for you to champion that you wouldn't see the same need

54:54for those types of responses when it comes

54:56to specific experiences of people who are unhoused.

55:00The public space bylaw breaches a number

55:02of other important topics around shared public space

55:04and how we all support that as a community.

55:07But I think some of those components

55:08is where it could release some of those pressures.

55:10And too often, I am first to acknowledge the downloading

55:13that has happened on you and the implications

55:15that has for the tax base and everything else.

55:18But I think part of what's being proposed in here

55:21also has some components of some cost recovery

55:25through things like licensing.

55:26I know that there's some work there

55:27to recommend looking into fee structures.

55:30You wanna be super, super thoughtful in looking at that,

55:33but I trust in your staff to really look

55:35at how that's being realized in other communities

55:37and be able to account for some of that.

55:40And I think finally I just say,

55:42I wanna be completely conscious of the pressures

55:44you're facing.

55:45I don't wanna be in your position right now

55:47and I have the utmost respect for what you have to navigate.

55:50But at the same time, we need to,

55:52we really can't put a price on people's right to housing

55:54and the significance of what's being experienced

55:56in our community right now.

55:58With those other municipalities having

56:00those policies in place, it really puts us,

56:02I would argue at disproportionate risk

56:04for landlords to look at this community as one to investing

56:07because it's easier to do renovations.

56:09And again, it's the few and far between landlords,

56:12but the really big ones that we're seeing this

56:13disproportionately from that are really in the business

56:16of turning over housing and displacing tenants

56:18for the purposes of making more profit.

56:20Thanks for the question.

56:23Thank you.

56:24Is there anything further from council?

56:27Yes, councillor Oroch.

56:29Thank you, chair, but still Ms. McPherson.

56:32Yesterday, the federal government brought out

56:35the renters bill of rights.

56:37So I just read it today actually.

56:40So they call on the province

56:41because it's provincial jurisdiction

56:44to bring in mechanisms to track and report

56:46on an increase of rent or evictions.

56:51And also to ensure that those rights

56:54are enshrined in provincial legislation.

56:55So as an advocate, I'm just wondering,

56:57are you aware if the provincial government

56:59is currently undertaking this?

57:01It would make sense because the large landlords,

57:06it would make sense to harmonize the rules

57:08for them across the province, right?

57:10So I'm just wondering if you're aware of any motion

57:12or movement here on behalf of the province.

57:15Not at this time.

57:16And I haven't to be honest, the nerd in me

57:18really wants to dig into what came out yesterday.

57:21And I haven't had the opportunity to do that yet.

57:23But if we're talking about provincial,

57:25I really want to draw attention specifically

57:27to the removal of rent control for units since 2018.

57:31And then also in effect, you lose rent control

57:34if somebody is displaced from the unit

57:35and isn't able to move back in.

57:38So I think the importance of rent control

57:41and considerations around that.

57:42And to be honest, I think we do need action

57:45on the part of the province wholeheartedly.

57:48And I do think the movement,

57:49and generally I would say stay in your lane

57:52to some extent, it makes sense to do that.

57:54But I think that this is really one of those key moments

57:57that if we're seeing leadership from municipalities

57:59that that could influence and will influence the province

58:02to move in the direction that we need to see policy going in.

58:06But to your point, I'd be happy to follow up

58:08if you have to after I dig into that a little bit further.

58:10Yeah.

58:11Great, thank you.

58:12And through you, Chair Bustill,

58:13I was going to ask whether that removal of rent control,

58:17it was for buildings occupied after 2018.

58:19And it wasn't clear to me whether if you do a renovation,

58:23whether that kills the rent control portion,

58:25but you've just answered that question.

58:26Yeah, in effect, that's what happens.

58:28Yeah. Thanks.

58:31Thank you. Are there any further questions?

58:35Seeing none, thank you very much.

58:36Thank you so much for your time.

58:38Nicole, welcome.

58:45So Nicole, you have five minutes,

58:47at four minutes, 30 seconds, you're here a little chime,

58:50and then you've got 30 seconds to wrap up.

58:53Thank you.

58:54Dear members of council,

58:55we're in the midst of a housing crisis,

58:57and this isn't new news.

58:59For years, squall fights and Canadians alike

59:01have been struggling with high costs of living.

59:04Absurd food costs, high fuel prices,

59:06unregulated utilities, and slow growing wages.

59:10It's a fight many of our hardworking citizens

59:12were struggling to keep up.

59:13Now they're losing, losing to investment housing,

59:17when landlords become corporations

59:19who stand to serve investors and shareholders,

59:21not tenants and communities.

59:23My name's Nikki Hammond,

59:25and I've lived in the branch community for 13 years,

59:27and I continue to support the neighbors and community

59:30through my work with the Brandt Neighborhood Support

59:31Coalition and the Brandt Neighborhood Group.

59:35For years, I've seen numbers of our community

59:37struggle to make impossible choices.

59:39Should a single mom send a sick child to school

59:42and risk being fired and stay at home?

59:44Do they pay the rent this week

59:45and not have food for the children?

59:47Impossible choices.

59:50But now I see citizens living in fear,

59:52a community living in fear.

59:54Fear that corporations simply looking to boost

59:56their financial portfolio will uproot their lives,

59:59their homes.

1:00:00These are families, single parents,

1:00:02senior citizens, new Canadians,

1:00:05hardworking and frankly underpaid people.

1:00:08How can we allow those who are most deserving

1:00:11of compassion and care to be displaced and uprooted

1:00:14with no place to go?

1:00:17We have approximately 16 small apartment buildings

1:00:20in the brand community, five of which are in the process

1:00:23of renovations.

1:00:24We understand landlords need to update the properties,

1:00:27but low earning renters need protection too.

1:00:30Many of the families I'm aware of

1:00:32that are currently being evicted due to renovations

1:00:34are paying the lowest rent prices you can find in Guelph.

1:00:37I ask you to look at the displacement

1:00:40that these renovations often unnecessary

1:00:43and simply cosmetic are causing

1:00:45and how this is contributing

1:00:47to the undeniable housing situation.

1:00:50We are asking you to enact strict fines for landlords

1:00:53who are not acting in good faith

1:00:55and not following the right of first refusal process

1:00:58as outlined in the residential tenancies act.

1:01:02We also ask you to require landlords

1:01:03to provide alternative temporary housing to renters

1:01:06at their standing rent price

1:01:08while needed renovations are underway.

1:01:11Here in Guelph we've had passionate debates

1:01:13in regards to homelessness

1:01:14and where these vulnerable community members

1:01:16can set up their temporary homes.

1:01:19Well, what will the outcome be

1:01:20if we do not protect the few affordable units

1:01:22that we do have in Guelph?

1:01:24If families we are displacing

1:01:25or already choosing between food and rent,

1:01:27they won't be able to survive if the rent is doubled.

1:01:30Then where do they go?

1:01:31Thank you.

1:01:34Thank you.

1:01:35Are there any questions for the delegation?

1:01:37Councillor Katelyn.

1:01:39Thank you through chair to the delegate.

1:01:43Recently I went out with a friend apartment hunting

1:01:47and one of the apartments that we went to go see

1:01:49was actually at the Brandt building

1:01:51and the person who was showing me it mentioned

1:01:55that they were having a hard time actually refilling them

1:01:58because the rents were so high.

1:02:00Are you finding that there are a lot of new tenants in these

1:02:04and is there a specific,

1:02:07like is it a lot of students having to share

1:02:09to make up for that additional price hike?

1:02:14Like you said, there's a lot of shared accommodations

1:02:17but we're also seeing very fast turnover.

1:02:20Folks can get it together and make first and last

1:02:23but they can't keep the residency there.

1:02:26So again, they're not able to stay long

1:02:29because the rent's so high.

1:02:31I was doing the same.

1:02:33I was with a friend and they were looking

1:02:35for a two bedroom apartment and that's $2,500.

1:02:38If you're a single mom working at Walmart,

1:02:40you can't do that.

1:02:41I was a single mom working at Walmart.

1:02:44I would have been in a tent with my kids.

1:02:48Thank you.

1:02:49I'm very sorry that that's happening.

1:02:51Are there any further questions?

1:02:58Thank you.

1:02:59Thank you very much.

1:03:00I wanna thank all of the delegations

1:03:03for the personal stories and for really bringing to life

1:03:06to council and to staff to hear how personal

1:03:10and the impact of this issue.

1:03:13There's also an amount of correspondence here

1:03:15for counselors to review.

1:03:18And I'm going to actually turn it back to Mayor Guthrie

1:03:22who had indicated that he also wanted to speak

1:03:25and bring forward a motion.

1:03:31And through you.

1:03:33So what I was wondering to the clerks

1:03:37and through you chair is I'd actually like to see

1:03:41if we can get some movement on two of the motions

1:03:46that I wrote and we can look to maybe defer the other ones.

1:03:52So the two that I would like to move at this time

1:03:56and Councillor Keaton has indicated

1:03:59that she would welcome seconding them

1:04:01is number six and seven on the agenda.

1:04:06And those two items are the landing page

1:04:09that can be set up through our IT and web services

1:04:13to help with the transparency, the facts,

1:04:19the rights of people that they can at least get that started.

1:04:25And the second part is the survey.

1:04:30Now I'm so sorry, I can't remember.

1:04:32I should open up my own correspondence there,

1:04:35but it was either Kitchener or Hamilton

1:04:40that did a survey right away

1:04:42that started to collect a lot of the stories.

1:04:46We've heard a few of them here in delegation process,

1:04:50but we know there's probably a lot of people

1:04:52that either don't wanna be a part of a delegation process,

1:04:56don't know how, they're busy,

1:04:59but they would like to tell their stories

1:05:01that can help inform not just a renovation potential bylaw,

1:05:05but other sort of stories that are happening

1:05:08in the community that I think would be good

1:05:10for our staff to understand

1:05:12when it comes to collecting some data in the future

1:05:15and also for us to understand as well.

1:05:18And so I was wondering if maybe we could look to action

1:05:21both of those things today,

1:05:24and then I would be happy to move and seconded

1:05:26by Councillor Keaton deferral of the remaining motions

1:05:30to October the eighth.

1:05:32So through you, Chair, if you could ask clerks

1:05:35to put that up on the screen, six and seven,

1:05:38I'd be happy to start with that.

1:05:40No.

1:05:41Thank you.

1:05:42And just to be clear, is Councillor Keaton seconding six

1:05:45and seven as well?

1:05:46Yes, please.

1:05:47Okay, thank you.

1:05:53Okay, they are up on the screen.

1:05:56Would you like me to read that or can?

1:06:00Sure, yeah, you can go ahead.

1:06:01Yeah.

1:06:02So item number six is that staff immediately create

1:06:05an eviction survey to shape and capture ongoing impacts

1:06:09of evictions occurring within the city of Guelph.

1:06:12And item seven is that staff be directed

1:06:15to immediately create a renting in Guelph landing page

1:06:19to help guide renters of their rights, expectations,

1:06:24and information from other orders of government

1:06:27and resources.

1:06:29And so that's moved by the mayor

1:06:31and seconded Councillor Keaton.

1:06:34So I'm starting a speaker's list.

1:06:36Councillor Downer, please.

1:06:39Yes, so I have a question.

1:06:41So I'm not questioning that,

1:06:42that these would be very useful.

1:06:44I just, through you, Madam Chair,

1:06:46I just want to question through staff.

1:06:48I know there was an expectation

1:06:49that this work could be referred to a later meeting.

1:06:53Are we going to be able to do this soon?

1:06:56I'm just thinking about the staff resources.

1:07:03Through the, through the chair to Councillor Downer.

1:07:08Yes, we recognize that this is important.

1:07:11I know that we were looking to have a fulsome discussion

1:07:14on what we were going to be spending our time on

1:07:18as it relates to housing on October the eighth.

1:07:21I will tell you,

1:07:22this is not an anybody's work plan right now.

1:07:24So I don't have an answer for you

1:07:26on how quick we might be able to get this up on the website

1:07:29or who will be working on it

1:07:31and what work will have to be deferred

1:07:33in order to be able to do it.

1:07:34But if that's Council's direction to proceed with it,

1:07:38then we will, but I don't have those answers

1:07:39for you at this time.

1:07:41Okay.

1:07:43Thank you.

1:07:44I have Councillor Arora and then Councillor Allt.

1:07:46Thank you, Chair.

1:07:47I'll still through you to the mover

1:07:49or potentially to our acting DCAO of public services.

1:07:54The intent of the survey is to capture

1:07:56the ongoing impacts of evictions.

1:07:59Mayor Guthrie, I'm just wondering if we would want

1:08:03to ask the county whether they're seeing impacts

1:08:05in terms of rising funds required for rent supplements.

1:08:10So, you know, we are,

1:08:13that survey would go to folks who might be facing

1:08:16rent eviction to get a sense of the scope of the problem

1:08:19I'm wondering if the county has data

1:08:21that they can already quantify what it costs

1:08:24when someone is renovicted,

1:08:25if they have to start providing rent supplements.

1:08:32Through you, Chair.

1:08:34Sure.

1:08:36Yeah, there could be some correlation there for sure.

1:08:41But I feel like the cities that have gone before us

1:08:46that have used the survey and the landing page option

1:08:50have gleaned a lot of their own data,

1:08:55that that might be good, not just for ourselves,

1:08:57but to share with the county.

1:08:59And then that correlation might take place there.

1:09:04Yeah, I'll stop there.

1:09:04I'm sorry if that's not answering your question,

1:09:06but I'll turn it back to you.

1:09:10So, I'm just wondering,

1:09:13because Ms. McPherson referred to, right?

1:09:16The other costs, there are tend to administrative costs

1:09:19in the city, but there's also a cost.

1:09:22If the city and the county have to start increasing

1:09:24rent supplements and increasing the number

1:09:27of affordable housing units, et cetera.

1:09:29So, I was just wondering what data they had.

1:09:31I'm just wondering, through you Chair Bustill,

1:09:35if our DCAO of public services would be able to ask

1:09:40the county for that information,

1:09:42or if we feel we need a motion.

1:09:46Through the chair, to Councillor Oroch,

1:09:47absolutely we can ask the county that question.

1:09:50Great, if that can come October the 8th is tomorrow

1:09:53in terms of agendas and things like that.

1:09:55But I think that'd be a helpful piece of information

1:09:58so we can determine what that investment looks like

1:10:01and what are the offsetting costs.

1:10:03Thanks.

1:10:04Thank you. I have Councillor Allt.

1:10:07Very much Chair Bustill.

1:10:10I'm not going to belabor us with any motions,

1:10:13but I support the motions that are to be voted upon,

1:10:18but I do have a caveat about them.

1:10:22And that is what I was talking to Mr. Kaufman about,

1:10:25what Mr. Kaufman made very, very clear.

1:10:28We have many, many renters who are technologically unskilled.

1:10:35And I am hoping that staff can take it under advisement

1:10:39to not just do what is the passive thing,

1:10:41setting up a website that people must go to,

1:10:45but rather actively solicit,

1:10:47perhaps through the neighborhood groups,

1:10:49like the Brandt neighborhood group,

1:10:52and tenants such as Mr. Kaufman,

1:10:54who are clearly engaged to have people provide their stories

1:10:59in other ways as well.

1:11:00This is a very short timeframe that we have

1:11:04to October the 8th.

1:11:05And I think in terms of what we did

1:11:08with the acceptable use by law,

1:11:11where we could not actually engage the AAC

1:11:15because we didn't have enough time.

1:11:17This is approximately the same amount of time.

1:11:20And so consequently, I don't want us to have us

1:11:24set up an expectation in both staff to do the website

1:11:28and everything that's entailed in this

1:11:31and have the community be able to become engaged

1:11:35in the next three weeks,

1:11:36if it is clearly going to be something

1:11:39that is not going to be incredibly enhancing of our efforts.

1:11:45And I think we need to be very, very clear of that.

1:11:47I mean, I think Councillor Boussatiel,

1:11:49when I assisted you in doing taxes

1:11:51at the Royal City Mission,

1:11:53where we literally had to go out and talk to people

1:11:56to get them to come in because they had no way of knowing

1:11:58that it's being done,

1:12:01I think our communications needs to be more actively driven

1:12:05so that we get to the people that are really being affected.

1:12:09And that's to staff.

1:12:11Can we do it the other way as well?

1:12:13This is a simple question.

1:12:22Through the chair to Councillor Allt,

1:12:24as TCO Holmes advised, we haven't identified the staff

1:12:30or that it's something obviously we can take back

1:12:32to communications and take a look at options,

1:12:35but we have not identified who or how long it would take.

1:12:39Yeah, and that's my concern.

1:12:41I'll leave it that chair Boussatiel,

1:12:44but as I said, I'm going to support the motions,

1:12:46but I hope that we don't set up an expectation

1:12:50that cannot be delivered.

1:12:52Thank you.

1:12:53And within the limits of Council,

1:12:55just a clarification for the mover and the seconder,

1:12:58is the expectation that this work would be done

1:13:01by October 8th and coming to Council by that time?

1:13:05No, Madam Chair, not at all.

1:13:08It's just to action it through you, Chair.

1:13:11It's the motion is to immediately start

1:13:13actioning these two items.

1:13:16So it takes them a little bit, so be it.

1:13:18But I just want to be very clear.

1:13:21If we have any type of direction that Council wants to give

1:13:25in regards to the actual rent eviction issue,

1:13:29we can do that on October the 8th.

1:13:31We can debate and discuss that on October the 8th,

1:13:33engagement, whatever you want to,

1:13:35as Councillor Allt was suggesting.

1:13:37This is about evictions.

1:13:40The motion is clear about evictions

1:13:42and it's about rights and getting that stuff up

1:13:47for people to know.

1:13:48I think what's important is look at the wording

1:13:51of these motions, about actioning both of these now

1:13:54as soon as possible, but recognizing they will not be ready

1:13:58for October the 8th.

1:14:00Thank you for the clarification.

1:14:01Are there any other questions, comments?

1:14:07Seeing none, can we have the motions back up please?

1:14:11So that Council knows.

1:14:14And then I'm going to call the question.

1:14:21Okay, so it's in our package,

1:14:22it's item six and seven of the motions in the agenda.

1:14:27It's been moved and seconded.

1:14:29Are there any opposed to the motions?

1:14:35Seeing none, it's unanimous, it's carried.

1:14:38Thank you very much.

1:14:40And I believe there are no service area chair

1:14:43or staff announcements.

1:14:44So I'm going to pass on to-

1:14:46Oh, point of order, Madam Chair.

1:14:49We still have to do the deferral motion on the-

1:14:51Thank you, yes.

1:14:52And still yourself and Councillor Keaton.

1:14:56Yes, Madam Chair.

1:14:57And I wondered if I could just say a comment

1:14:59before the final vote now.

1:15:00Certainly, yes.

1:15:01And I'll get the clerks to put that up.

1:15:04Thank you.

1:15:06Yeah, so we're all kind of hearing stories right now.

1:15:09And I thought I would just quickly

1:15:11in my closing comments here,

1:15:13just talk about one story that hit me pretty hard.

1:15:16And these are all issues that are hitting me hard.

1:15:19Don't get me wrong.

1:15:20This one was, it's a townhouse on college.

1:15:26And it's a newly landed family.

1:15:28I would say they've been here in Canada

1:15:32for maybe about under five years.

1:15:36Mom and dad and like five kids.

1:15:40And I was over at their place a few years ago,

1:15:44hanging out with them.

1:15:45And in the conversation,

1:15:48they said that they've had to move

1:15:51because their landlord said that their sister,

1:15:53the landlord's sister is gonna be coming

1:15:56and now living at that place.

1:16:00And like, you know, my spidey senses

1:16:01kind of went off a little bit.

1:16:03And needless to say, I told, you know,

1:16:06I gave them advice to seek legal advice

1:16:09and things like that.

1:16:10But at the end of the day,

1:16:13they had to move out of that townhouse

1:16:16and they moved five townhouses down the row

1:16:20in the same complex for $1,000 more a month.

1:16:25It's the exact same home.

1:16:28And what was told to them was wrong.

1:16:33And I just want, you know,

1:16:35I just want people to understand

1:16:36that when I'm bringing this forward,

1:16:39and I said this in my comments in the correspondence,

1:16:43this is our bylaws are to try to get people into compliance.

1:16:48And our bylaws are enforced when they have,

1:16:53it's for the minute minority of people

1:16:56that don't follow the rules.

1:16:59And this is why landlords that I've talked to

1:17:02have actually been in favor of this

1:17:05because they give a bad name to the landlords

1:17:10that are doing things right.

1:17:12And I don't want to paint a brush across all landlords

1:17:15because that's not right either at all.

1:17:19But there are a few that are not playing by the rules.

1:17:23And so the only reason why municipalities

1:17:26are having to step into this space, Madam Chair,

1:17:28is because of those very few people

1:17:31that aren't playing by the rules.

1:17:32And I would add a provincial government

1:17:34that doesn't have the legislation in place

1:17:36to cover things off properly.

1:17:38That's why municipalities are having to step up.

1:17:41So I appreciate the delegates coming out,

1:17:44the delegates informing me about what the heck's going on

1:17:47because without your stories,

1:17:49I wouldn't know that it's that bad.

1:17:51So you definitely show that it is.

1:17:55And I look forward to on the eighth

1:17:57to look to hopefully ratify,

1:17:59and actually move forward with something like this

1:18:02as part of the tools that we could have

1:18:05in our municipal basket

1:18:07to be able to try to address this issue.

1:18:10And I hope that everyone

1:18:12that is experiencing these situations right now

1:18:15does seek that sort of legal advice

1:18:17that you have the right to have.

1:18:21And so with that, thank you, Madam Chair.

1:18:24I just wanted to make sure I've said those few things

1:18:26before the final vote, I appreciate it.

1:18:29Thank you.

1:18:30And I'll just wait for the clerks to put the motion up.

1:18:36Councillor Oroch.

1:18:38Thanks, Chair Buce-Till.

1:18:39I just wanted to come back to a comment by Ms. Dandy

1:18:42that tenants are seen as less than

1:18:44because I don't think that should stand

1:18:47as it's certainly not a reflection of this council

1:18:51or our staff for sure.

1:18:52My, no, no, my dad was a renter,

1:18:55lots of folks rent at different stages in the lives.

1:19:00So I know I just want to be clear

1:19:02that that's certainly not the opinion of the council

1:19:06and I appreciate the reference to the publication.

1:19:11We've said many times that we have had a massive focus

1:19:16on what is most urgent,

1:19:17what is most visible on our streets,

1:19:19but I just want people to know we are concerned

1:19:21about the folks who are currently housed

1:19:23and who are one rent hike away from

1:19:27having to make some really difficult choices.

1:19:29So people should know that we have that concern

1:19:33about renters on the market side as well

1:19:36when we're talking about the spectrum.

1:19:40Thank you.

1:19:40Councillor Chew.

1:19:43Thank you, Madam Chair.

1:19:44I just want to emphasize Mayor Guthrie's emphasis

1:19:48on how bylaw works.

1:19:50Like by nature, it's a compliance measure

1:19:53and like we have to not lose sight of that as a municipality.

1:19:58Like we're dealing with issues operational in nature

1:20:01to make sure that everyone in the city

1:20:03that's living under one roof can live

1:20:06so affably and peaceably

1:20:10because at the end of the day,

1:20:11we have to go to our neighbors

1:20:13and we have residents that are right next door

1:20:15and we have, and these issues at the end of the day

1:20:19are very personal in nature.

1:20:21And that's why, yeah, like our tenant,

1:20:24our landlord, tenant board is a complete disaster,

1:20:27but that is a provincial issue.

1:20:29And while I think the landing pages

1:20:31and all of these measures that we're going to bring forward

1:20:35today will help with the education piece

1:20:38and the advocacy piece,

1:20:41these are not issues that we can deal with

1:20:43directly as a municipality on our own.

1:20:45So I just want to really emphasize that here today

1:20:48because I think that the last few weeks,

1:20:51the last year in general,

1:20:53we've had to deal with issues

1:20:55that are totally not within our lane.

1:20:57And that's something that we need to recognize

1:21:00so that we don't continue to burden staff

1:21:05with these issues that some of which

1:21:07are completely out of our control.

1:21:09And it's just been on my heart to emphasize that here today.

1:21:12And I think we all share the same sentiments.

1:21:15And yeah, we just need to remember what we're here for.

1:21:20So yeah, thank you so much for this opportunity.

1:21:25Anyone else who would like to speak?

1:21:30Okay, saying nine quay at the motion.

1:21:35Councillor Keaton.

1:21:37Thank you, through you, Chair.

1:21:39I think that it's an important task

1:21:43that we're embarking on and that while we can't solve the issue

1:21:49because it is provincial,

1:21:51we can do all we can to make sure

1:21:54that the rules are followed.

1:21:56And we can advocate towards the Providence,

1:21:58which I'm very proud that we did at AMO.

1:22:01And I don't think that it's a burden on staff

1:22:04to help safeguard the rights of renters.

1:22:07Thank you.

1:22:12Just a point of order.

1:22:14I just want to clarify on a record

1:22:16that wasn't the intention of my messaging.

1:22:19It was just really to emphasize that

1:22:22we have certain responsibilities as a municipality

1:22:25and we all feel the benevolence to help.

1:22:27And we're trying to help, but at the same time,

1:22:30we need to, we're asking for help from the province

1:22:32and the federal government right now.

1:22:34Point of privilege.

1:22:35Point of privilege, thank you.

1:22:36Thank you.

1:22:37Okay, are we ready to call the question?

1:22:41Okay, thank you.

1:22:41Can we have the motion up on the screen please?

1:22:48That discussion regarding recommendations one to five

1:22:50of item 9.1, the municipal scan of renovation bylaws

1:22:54be deferred until the housing affordability strategy

1:22:58is brought before city council on October 8, 2024,

1:23:02moved by the mayor, seconded Councillor Keaton.

1:23:06Anyone opposed?

1:23:10That motion carries unanimously.

1:23:12Thank you.

1:23:12Okay, and there are no item 10,