March 12, 1998

URBAN ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE:

City Council, at its meeting held on March 4, 5 and 6, 1998, referred the following Motion to the Urban Environment and Development Committee:

Moved by:Councillor Chow

Seconded by:Councillor Miller

AWHEREAS the Tenant Protection Act is expected to be proclaimed by the Provincial Government this spring, resulting in the repeal of the Rental Housing Protection Act and other related legislation; and

WHEREAS a significant number of affordable rental apartments may be subject to conversion to condominium and demolition as a result of the change in Provincial legislation; and

WHEREAS the rental housing vacancy rate in the new City of Toronto was only 0.8 percent as of October 1997, and that as a result of the cancellation of the social housing programs, virtually no new affordable rental housing is being built in the City; and

WHEREAS the number of underhoused or homeless persons in the City of Toronto is growing, and a substantial number of people are now at high risk of becoming homeless;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the work of the Urban Planning and Development Staff Team dealing with the development of a new condominium conversion policy and other measures to preserve the City=s scare supply of rental housing be fast-tracked;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT in the interim, all Community Councils strictly apply their existing condominium conversion and demolition control policies/by-laws, where applicable, in order to minimize the loss of affordable rental housing units.@

City Clerk

M. Brown/dcm