TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Federation of Metro Tenants Associations (FMTA) yesterday strongly condemned the Ford government's proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) under Bill 60, calling the legislation a disastrous attack on tenants' rights that will worsen Ontario's already devastating affordability and housing crisis.
“House Bill 60 is not about efficiency, it’s about evictions,” said Jaroslava Avila Montenegro, executive director of the FMTA. “This bill is designed to speed up the eviction of tenants from their homes, strip away key legal protections and start the debate about ending rent control in Ontario. It is a clear gift to developers and corporate landlords at the expense of the nearly third of Ontarians who are renters.”
Speeding up evictions, sacrificing justice
The government's so-called “effective” reforms to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) are a smokescreen for undermining fundamental rights of tenants. The proposed changes unfairly favor landlords and will worsen the housing crisis by:
Forcing Tenants to Remain Silent at Eviction Hearings: The bill would prevent a tenant from raising new issues, such as the landlord's failure to maintain the property, during a hearing regarding back rent. This deprives tenants of a fair defense by preventing the Landlord and Tenant Board from considering health, safety, or poor repairs during an eviction hearing.
Limitation of access to justice: The plan to reduce the review period for LTB eviction orders from 30 to 15 days will ensure that more tenants, particularly the most vulnerable, will lose the opportunity to appeal the decision and are more likely to become homeless.
Penalty for minor delays: The new definition of “late payment” would allow eviction proceedings to begin after a seven-day rent payment delay, pushing tenants into the eviction process due to administrative errors or temporary financial setbacks.
Cancellation of compensation for eviction “for one’s own needs”: The bill would eliminate compensation for tenants evicted for the landlord's “own use,” making it easier and cheaper for landlords to force tenants out under the provision.
Targeting the most vulnerable
Although the government has backed down from its original proposal to remove security of tenure, the remaining changes to Bill 184 create insurmountable barriers for renters and will accelerate evictions for Indigenous people, seniors, low-income families and migrant workers.
“At a time when rents are skyrocketing and homelessness is on the rise, the Ford government is choosing to invest in evictions to get people out of their homes faster, rather than in solutions that make housing safe and affordable,” said Jaroslava Avila Montenegro.
A recent study by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) warned that nearly 300,000 people could become homeless in the province due to decades of underinvestment. Proposition 60 will make this crisis worse by turning warning into reality.
Call to Action: Strength in Unity
House Bill 60 aims to roll back rights that tenants have fought for decades to achieve. FMTA is committed to mobilizing renters across the province to oppose this law at every turn.
“We demand housing legislation that protects the right to safe, secure and affordable housing for all,” said Jaroslava Avila Montenegro. “We call on every tenant and every organization that believes in housing justice in Toronto and Ontario to join us in fighting this devastating bill. Together we are stronger. Together we will win.”
For further information and media inquiries please contact:
Jaroslava Avila Montenegro
Executive Director,
Federation of Subway Tenants' Associations
Rice Nam
Communications Director,
Federation of Subway Tenants' Associations
Phone: (416) 646-1772.
[email protected]
www.torontotenants.org
