More than 300 Toronto tenants are still on strike and have not paid their rent for at least 7 months

Over the weekend, residents of four properties marched along a stretch of Lawrence Avenue, calling for rent control in their buildings. The strike at 33 King Street and 22 John Street is now in its eleventh month, while tenants at 1440 and 1442 Lawrence Avenue West are on strike starting October 1, 2023.

The York South Weston Tenants Union (YSWTU) told Now Toronto that 100 tenants living at 1440 and 1442 Lawrence West are on strike against private owner Barney River, a Toronto-based real estate investment and management company. Meanwhile, 250 people living in buildings at 33 King Street and 22 John Street are protesting against Dream Unlimited, the management company.

Tenants at 33 King St. are on strike over exorbitant rent hikes.

READ MORE: Hundreds of Toronto renters go on rent strike

“Despite being a rent-controlled building, rent at 33 King has been 3 times rent-controlled and 3 times higher than wages over the past 5 years,” Chiara Padovani, YSWTU co-chair, said in an email. .

“Even in 2021, Dream Unlimited has raised rents by 3 percent, ignoring pandemic-related rental freezes.”

“At 22 years old, John's tenants are impressed as Dream Unlimited averages a 10% monthly rent increase,” continued Padovani.

“Despite the fact that this building was built on public land with millions of dollars in public funding, it is not protected by rent control.”

This year, Ontario landlords can raise rents by a maximum of 2.5 per cent. These rules apply to most private residential rental units covered by the Residential Tenancies Act 2006, but do not cover new buildings, new leases, commercial properties, long-term care homes or associations first occupied after 15 November 2018. residential buildings.

Padovani also has 1440-1442 Lawrence Avenue W. explained that the tenants are going on strike for such reasons.

“Tenants at 1440-1442 Lawrence Ave W went on a rent strike because their corporate landlord, Barney River Investments, refused basic maintenance and repairs and, to add insult to injury, raised their rent above the guidelines.”

Conditions in the building were so bad that Canada Post deemed it unsafe to deliver mail to it for years, Padovani said.

In response to the strike, the union says management companies attempted to evict tenants.

“Both Dream Unlimited and Barney River came to the table and tried to evict hundreds of tenants without agreeing to very reasonable tenant concerns,” Padovani said.

“This is a deplorable act, but it is an example of the impunity with which many real estate corporations believe they can operate. That being said, the YSW Tenants Union is prepared for such actions and no one who has gone on a rent strike has been expelled,” Padovani continued, adding that the union continues to welcome Barney River and Dream Unlimited to the negotiating table.

Now Toronto reached out to Barney River and Dream Unlimited for comment, but neither responded in time for publication. Dream Unlimited Star was told by his King St. 33 said the property did not apply for the above guidelines and that three rent increases were proposed by the building's previous owners.