Today, I rise to discuss an issue affecting many of my constituents in Don Valley East: demovictions.

Demovictions occur when, under existing regulations, landlords evict their tenants to demolish and rebuild. Under the current government’s lack of oversight and tenant protections, this often leaves tenants with nowhere to go, and if they can ever return, it’s to significantly higher rent.

This is the case for tenants of 10 different buildings in my riding. These tenants have a limited safety net under current regulations, predicated on something called rent-gap payments. In this, developers can pay the rent gap between a tenant’s current rate and, in most cases, the CMHC’s 2022 average rate for a similar apartment. The problem, though, is rents have skyrocketed since 2022, meaning the present rate is entirely insufficient for my constituents. At 48 Grenoble Drive, a low-rise apartment in Flemingdon Park, the rent-gap payment falls $1,500 short of competitive pricing. That’s not right.

My community is made up of new immigrants, seniors, people dependent on fixed incomes. These buildings represent stability in troubled waters. We need more housing, but we’ve got to protect tenants and lighten their load so they’re not left high and dry. That means fixing rent-gap payments, ensuring tenants have the right to return and making sure that no tenant is ever left behind as we fight to ensure everyone in this province has access to affordable housing.