CBCNEWS — Live CBC Newsroom With Natasha Fatah
20260808 170000 UTC
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[00:00:10] When you want news, we are here for you and CBC
[00:00:13] News Ottawa and here Winnipeg, White Horse and here Dulac,
[00:00:17] Saskatoon, Montreal, Calgary.
[00:02:00] Can Canada build its way out of the housing crisis?
[00:02:02] The housing crisis is taking a toll on Montrealers. We have a
[00:02:06] a huge shortage of housing. It's no secret Canada needs
[00:02:09] more affordable housing. But the type of housing is
[00:02:13] important, and some cities just aren't
[00:02:15] building enough of what many Canadians need most. It's
[00:02:18] called the missing middle.
[00:02:20] Most cities are flooded with high rise apartments,
[00:02:24] which don't have that much space, or detached homes,
[00:02:27] which can be expensive. There's not a lot in between. But if we
[00:02:32] built more duplexes, row homes and low rise
[00:02:35] apartments, experts say that missing middle
[00:02:38] would bring greater affordability and choice to the
[00:02:42] market. We built more homes in 1972 than we did in 2024,
[00:02:46] and Canada's population has doubled since then and
[00:02:49] households have gotten smaller.
[00:02:52] Things may be starting to turn around. Missing middle housing
[00:02:56] starts in Canada jumped 44% last year compared to the year
[00:02:59] before. This type of housing can be faster and cheaper to
[00:03:03] build, helping bring density to
[00:03:05] neighborhoods without overwhelming them
[00:03:09] long time. We neglected the question of who needs what
[00:03:12] housing, where and at what cost, and we're suddenly going, hmm,
[00:03:16] maybe we should think about that. So there's a lot of
[00:03:19] catching up to do.
[00:03:20] Some cities are catching up faster than others. Last year,
[00:03:24] Calgary and Edmonton dominated missing middle housing starts.
[00:03:28] Calgary has a bunch of housing stock that had favorable
[00:03:31] conditions for redevelopment. There's been an unprecedented
[00:03:35] demand and that's why you're seeing such high volume. People
[00:03:39] have flocked to Calgary and Edmonton for more affordable
[00:03:42] housing. The cities have plenty of land and encouraged new
[00:03:46] supply by amending zoning permissions. It's Toronto and
[00:03:49] Vancouver that aren't building
[00:03:51] enough of the missing middle. Steep land costs mean the
[00:03:55] projects are less economical amid slow approvals and high
[00:03:58] development fees. Construction often stalls financing, banking,
[00:04:03] construction companies. Everything we do is geared
[00:04:06] around high rise and or production housing in the
[00:04:09] suburbs and so we need to kind of reinvent that industry.
[00:04:13] Toronto and Vancouver are taking steps towards zoning
[00:04:16] reforms, though there's still a long way
[00:04:19] to go. But it's clear that more housing options
[00:04:22] would benefit Canadians. The clients were talking to at that
[00:04:25] level. They want
[00:04:27] 3 bedrooms, family housing. They're not.
[00:04:30] They do not want to try and recreate the condo boxes.
[00:04:33] Experts say lawmakers need to do more to get shovels in the
[00:04:37] ground, lowering development fees and
[00:04:39] simplifying and speeding up approvals. I'd say the biggest
[00:04:42] challenge is that all three levels of government aren't
[00:04:46] acting like it's a crisis. Without the missing middle,
[00:04:49] Canada will be missing out.
[00:04:54] Something the best way to make housing more affordable is to
[00:04:56] just build more. A simple case of supply and demand,
[00:04:59] but there's more to it. Private developers,
[00:05:02] there's not a criticism, this is just a fact,
[00:05:05] are trying to make money. They all tend to build at the higher
[00:05:08] end. It really comes down to what kind of housing we're
[00:05:12] building, like nonprofit housing. This
[00:05:14] project in Griffintown is one such example. Let's take a look.
[00:05:19] This is one of our longer builds because it's so high
[00:05:22] density. Lahaul Avec has built his career on making housing
[00:05:25] available to students Here. We're building 285 units of
[00:05:29] not-for-profit student housings. And what's the rent gonna be?
[00:05:32] The rent is gonna be about 20 to 30% below market. His
[00:05:35] nonprofit real estate company Util does it all. We find land,
[00:05:39] we hire architects, contractors, and then we own the assets in
[00:05:43] perpetuity. And that's how you ensure that long term
[00:05:46] affordability. Leveque says his nonprofit can build when the
[00:05:49] private hector can't. Right now, there's a market slump in
[00:05:53] housing starts. The nonprofits are building and we're building
[00:05:56] in markets where it's difficult to make profits. And that's
[00:06:00] fine. There are all kinds of nonprofit housing,
[00:06:03] from affordable housing where rents are below market value,
[00:06:06] social housing with rent subsidies for low income
[00:06:09] tenants, to transitional housing and
[00:06:11] shelters that get regular governmental support. To really
[00:06:14] tackle the housing crisis, experts say nonprofit housing
[00:06:18] needs to make up 20% of the housing stock. As it stands now,
[00:06:21] the latest data shows Quebec is that about 5%. Now the
[00:06:26] politicians looking to get your vote want to get to that 20%
[00:06:31] target. But to get there, some say we need to look at
[00:06:35] nonprofit housing differently. We need to make nonprofit
[00:06:40] housing, real economic sector,
[00:06:44] an alliance of some 30 housing corporations across Quebec,
[00:06:47] from owners to nonprofits to co-ops to para public
[00:06:51] organizations. It says the best nonprofits need to join forces
[00:06:54] and be seen as real players in the real estate sector. We need
[00:06:58] to stop looking at them like they are helping the pores.
[00:07:02] Yeah, they're helping everyone. We
[00:07:04] need to think in terms of portfolios instead of thinking
[00:07:07] by project by project. There's always going to be limited
[00:07:10] government funding available so we need to stretch those
[00:07:14] dollars and find new ways to attract capital,
[00:07:17] much like models in Europe that have for decades scaled up
[00:07:20] nonprofit housing. In the UK they have very large housing
[00:07:24] associations that are not-for-profit businesses and
[00:07:27] they borrow billions of pounds from institutions like
[00:07:30] insurance companies and even pension funds. Pension fund
[00:07:33] will never invest in non market housing unless the government
[00:07:37] backs that loan. Canada could follow other countries leads
[00:07:40] but it would require a shift in how society values housing no
[00:07:44] matter who is in power.
[00:07:46] Take France for example. Right now we don't know who they're
[00:07:49] charging France. So even if you're right wing party you
[00:07:53] don't come in and kick down social housing system for
[00:07:56] electoral purposes. Leveque though is hopeful. Never have
[00:08:00] we seen scaling up not-for-profit housing so
[00:08:02] importantly entered in every housing policy at every level.
[00:08:06] But it's change that could take years to build.
[00:10:16] Welcome back. We're taking a look at Canada's housing crisis.
[00:10:18] Up next, how those looking for places to live are affected.
[00:10:24] One in five Quebeckers report struggling to pay rent over the
[00:10:28] past year. That's according to a new study shedding light on
[00:10:32] the rental market and issues renters face across the
[00:10:35] province. The survey was carried out by Ledger for the
[00:10:39] Group V Cavill in urban Planning nonprofit. 5500 people
[00:10:43] participated in the online study last summer. 20% of them
[00:10:47] said they struggled to make rent. 13% said that happened
[00:10:51] more than once, with a maximum margin of error
[00:10:54] of 1.3%.
[00:10:55] The sample size is you don't have to be that late to be
[00:10:58] exposed to an eviction. And we know that people who are
[00:11:02] evicted have a lot of trouble finding stable housing again.
[00:11:06] I'd like to move somewhere cheaper,
[00:11:09] but that doesn't exist anymore. I mean,
[00:11:11] Allam says she has to make sacrifices to afford her $1300
[00:11:16] one bedroom apartment in Montreal. I don't go out. I
[00:11:19] don't. I like, I have maybe $50.00 to do fun
[00:11:22] things for the entire month. It's like
[00:11:25] theft, as long as I can cover everything.
[00:11:29] Just barely. Since 2023, the study says the average
[00:11:32] monthly rent has increased by $150.00 in Quebec. Most of the
[00:11:36] increase we've observed comes from renewals and not from new
[00:11:39] people renting. That jump also has fewer and fewer people
[00:11:43] believing they'll be able to buy property one day. I don't
[00:11:46] think I'll ever be able to get on the property ladder. Like
[00:11:50] I've given up hope
[00:11:52] in not renting. The groups say the survey underscores the need
[00:11:56] for the Quebec government to implement new measures. Things
[00:12:00] like a rent registry province wide and putting limits on
[00:12:04] landlords ability to increase rent between tenants. They say
[00:12:08] while building more housing may help overtime,
[00:12:11] they say more needs to be done in the short term. Round
[00:12:15] Kennedy. CBC News Montreal.
[00:12:21] I love him so much and he loves me. Valeria Woloshin is getting
[00:12:24] ready to retire this summer. She'll be on a reduced and
[00:12:28] fixed income. She wants to move into seniors housing in
[00:12:31] Saskatoon, but the housing she applied for
[00:12:34] doesn't allow pets. I don't want to let go of him. My God,
[00:12:38] it would just break my heart. Now Wallach and is facing a
[00:12:41] difficult choice. Live in affordable housing and give up
[00:12:45] her lovable friend or move to Manitoba and away from her
[00:12:48] family so she can keep her cat?
[00:12:51] I really don't know. I have no idea at this point. Well,
[00:12:55] Ocean's situation is an example of how the no pets policies at
[00:12:59] rental listings across the city is impacting tenants. Often
[00:13:03] they face higher rents and fewer choices. And for some it
[00:13:07] means giving up on not just a pet,
[00:13:10] a family member. Out of 10 submissions we may get,
[00:13:13] 30 to 50% will be because of unable to find adequate living
[00:13:18] circumstances.
[00:13:20] Isn't that crazy? It's heartbreaking. New Hope
[00:13:23] Dog Rescue has about 90 dogs in care living in foster homes.
[00:13:27] Researchers agree losing the emotional bond with an animal
[00:13:31] can be devastating for humans and the pets themselves. She
[00:13:35] made a lot of stressful days bearable. Claire Paulson has
[00:13:38] depression and says her dogs helped motivate her to move
[00:13:42] forward in life. But she says finding a place to live with
[00:13:46] them was tough. It's frustrating to try to find a
[00:13:49] space. When you do find somebody that accept pets,
[00:13:53] you kind of have to sell that a little bit to them and tell
[00:13:57] them why. Almost like it's almost like a job interview for
[00:14:00] your pets. And I always say that my dogs have probably have
[00:14:04] better references than I do. Paulson pays a monthly $25 pet
[00:14:08] fee and considers herself lucky. Often it can be higher or
[00:14:12] required damage deposits. As for Woloshin,
[00:14:15] she's still looking for affordable housing in Saskatoon.
[00:14:18] She's trying to get Buddy declared
[00:14:21] emotional support animal because she says giving him up
[00:14:25] is just not an option. Aishwarya Duda,
[00:14:28] CBC News Saskatoon Look.
[00:14:34] MANAGEMENT, SAYING THEY'RE FED UP. >> THAT DOESN'T WORK, AND THAT'-
[00:14:41] UP. >> THAT DOESN'T WORK, AND THAT'- >> Reporter: THE BATTLE WITH
[00:14:43] >> THAT DOESN'T WORK, AND THAT'- >> Reporter: THE BATTLE WITH SPACE HEATERS IS LIKE DEJA-VU
[00:14:45] >> Reporter: THE BATTLE WITH SPACE HEATERS IS LIKE DEJA-VU FOR DARREN AND ANDREA, WHOSE
[00:14:47] SPACE HEATERS IS LIKE DEJA-VU FOR DARREN AND ANDREA, WHOSE APARTMENT BUILDING AT 64 St. FOR DARREN AND ANDREA, WHOSE APARTMENT BUILDING AT 64 St. CLAIR AVENUE WEST IS YET AGAIN
[00:14:51] APARTMENT BUILDING AT 64 St. CLAIR AVENUE WEST IS YET AGAIN WITHOUT HEAT. CLAIR AVENUE WEST IS YET AGAIN WITHOUT HEAT. >> REALLY FRUSTRATING.
[00:14:55] WITHOUT HEAT. >> REALLY FRUSTRATING. FOR SURE, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR >> REALLY FRUSTRATING. FOR SURE, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR ALMOST 20 WEEK, AND THERE'S A
[00:14:59] FOR SURE, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR ALMOST 20 WEEK, AND THERE'S A PROBLEM ALMOST EVERY WINTER, ALMOST 20 WEEK, AND THERE'S A PROBLEM ALMOST EVERY WINTER, SO...
[00:15:02] PROBLEM ALMOST EVERY WINTER, SO... THEY'VE HAD YEARS AND YEARS AND SO... THEY'VE HAD YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS TO FIX THIS, SO IT'S
[00:15:06] THEY'VE HAD YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS TO FIX THIS, SO IT'S REALLY FRUSTRATING. YEARS TO FIX THIS, SO IT'S REALLY FRUSTRATING. >> Reporter: THE PROPERTY
[00:15:09] REALLY FRUSTRATING. >> Reporter: THE PROPERTY OWNERSHIP GROUP, CHERISH HOME
[00:15:12] >> Reporter: THE PROPERTY OWNERSHIP GROUP, CHERISH HOME LIVING, SAY THE PROBLEM WITH THE
[00:15:14] OWNERSHIP GROUP, CHERISH HOME LIVING, SAY THE PROBLEM WITH THE BOILER WAS OUT OF THEIR CONTROL LIVING, SAY THE PROBLEM WITH THE BOILER WAS OUT OF THEIR CONTROL ASK THAT THE PARTS NEEDED TO FIX
[00:15:18] BOILER WAS OUT OF THEIR CONTROL ASK THAT THE PARTS NEEDED TO FIX IT WITH UNAVAILABLE. ASK THAT THE PARTS NEEDED TO FIX IT WITH UNAVAILABLE. PRINCIPAL OF THE COMPANY, BOB
[00:15:22] IT WITH UNAVAILABLE. PRINCIPAL OF THE COMPANY, BOB McARTHUR, TOLD ME ON THE PHONE
[00:15:24] PRINCIPAL OF THE COMPANY, BOB McARTHUR, TOLD ME ON THE PHONE THAT A NEW BOILER WAS ORDERED
[00:15:26] McARTHUR, TOLD ME ON THE PHONE THAT A NEW BOILER WAS ORDERED LAST WEEK AND THAT IT SHOULD THAT A NEW BOILER WAS ORDERED LAST WEEK AND THAT IT SHOULD ARRIVE IN FIVE WEEKS, AROUND THE
[00:15:30] LAST WEEK AND THAT IT SHOULD ARRIVE IN FIVE WEEKS, AROUND THE END OF MAY. ARRIVE IN FIVE WEEKS, AROUND THE END OF MAY. HE DID NOT RESPOND TO A
[00:15:33] END OF MAY. HE DID NOT RESPOND TO A FOLLOW-UP REQUEST FOR AN HE DID NOT RESPOND TO A FOLLOW-UP REQUEST FOR AN ON-CAMERA INTERVIEW.
[00:15:37] FOLLOW-UP REQUEST FOR AN ON-CAMERA INTERVIEW. THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY ON-CAMERA INTERVIEW. THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY DID NOT RESPOND TO REQUEST FOR
[00:15:40] THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY DID NOT RESPOND TO REQUEST FOR COMMENT. DID NOT RESPOND TO REQUEST FOR COMMENT. >> LANDLORDS IN TORONTO HAVE A
[00:15:44] COMMENT. >> LANDLORDS IN TORONTO HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT >> LANDLORDS IN TORONTO HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT THEIR TENANTS ARE IN HEALTHY AND
[00:15:48] RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT THEIR TENANTS ARE IN HEALTHY AND SAFE CONDITIONS.
[00:15:51] SAFE CONDITIONS. >> Reporter: IN FEBRUARY 2023, TENANTS HAD THE SAME LOSS OF
[00:15:53] >> Reporter: IN FEBRUARY 2023, TENANTS HAD THE SAME LOSS OF HEAT IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER. TENANTS HAD THE SAME LOSS OF HEAT IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER. LOCAL COUNCILLOR JOSH MATLOW AND
[00:15:57] HEAT IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER. LOCAL COUNCILLOR JOSH MATLOW AND THE CITY STEPPED IN. LOCAL COUNCILLOR JOSH MATLOW AND THE CITY STEPPED IN. >> I HAD TO INTERVENE BACK THEN
[00:16:01] THE CITY STEPPED IN. >> I HAD TO INTERVENE BACK THEN ON BEHALF OF TENANTS TO DEMAND >> I HAD TO INTERVENE BACK THEN ON BEHALF OF TENANTS TO DEMAND THAT THE LANDLORD ENSURE THAT
[00:16:05] ON BEHALF OF TENANTS TO DEMAND THAT THE LANDLORD ENSURE THAT THE HEAT WAS TURNED ON. THAT THE LANDLORD ENSURE THAT THE HEAT WAS TURNED ON. AND THEY KNEW THAT THEY HAD
[00:16:09] THE HEAT WAS TURNED ON. AND THEY KNEW THAT THEY HAD PROBLEMS BACK THEN. AND THEY KNEW THAT THEY HAD PROBLEMS BACK THEN. THEY CHOSE TO PUT BAND-AIDS ON
[00:16:13] PROBLEMS BACK THEN. THEY CHOSE TO PUT BAND-AIDS ON IT, RATHER THAN FIX THE PROBLEM, THEY CHOSE TO PUT BAND-AIDS ON IT, RATHER THAN FIX THE PROBLEM, AND NOW THE TENANTS ARE OUT OF
[00:16:17] IT, RATHER THAN FIX THE PROBLEM, AND NOW THE TENANTS ARE OUT OF HEAT ONCE AGAIN. AND NOW THE TENANTS ARE OUT OF HEAT ONCE AGAIN. >> Reporter: RESIDENT DARREN
[00:16:21] HEAT ONCE AGAIN. >> Reporter: RESIDENT DARREN DRIVER SAYS HE REMEMBERS THE
[00:16:23] >> Reporter: RESIDENT DARREN DRIVER SAYS HE REMEMBERS THE CONVERSATION THAT HAPPENED IN
[00:16:25] DRIVER SAYS HE REMEMBERS THE CONVERSATION THAT HAPPENED IN 2023 AND ISN'T SURPRISED THAT
[00:16:29] 2023 AND ISN'T SURPRISED THAT THIS IS HAPPENING AGAIN. >> I STOOD DOWN THERE WITH THIS IS HAPPENING AGAIN. >> I STOOD DOWN THERE WITH PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, CITY BY-LAW
[00:16:33] >> I STOOD DOWN THERE WITH PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, CITY BY-LAW OFFICERS AND -- AND THE
[00:16:35] PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, CITY BY-LAW OFFICERS AND -- AND THE CONTRACTOR, AND THEY TOLD US,
[00:16:39] CONTRACTOR, AND THEY TOLD US, WELL, WE HAVE THREE YEARS, AND THEN THIS WILL BREAK AGAIN.
[00:16:41] WELL, WE HAVE THREE YEARS, AND THEN THIS WILL BREAK AGAIN. WELL, IT'S THREE YEARS, RIGHT? THEN THIS WILL BREAK AGAIN. WELL, IT'S THREE YEARS, RIGHT? AND THEY SAID IT WON'T BREAK IF
[00:16:45] WELL, IT'S THREE YEARS, RIGHT? AND THEY SAID IT WON'T BREAK IF PROPER MAINTENANCE IS DONE.
[00:16:47] AND THEY SAID IT WON'T BREAK IF PROPER MAINTENANCE IS DONE. >> Reporter: SINCE ITS APRIL
[00:16:49] PROPER MAINTENANCE IS DONE. >> Reporter: SINCE ITS APRIL INSTEAD OF FEBRUARY, DRIVER
[00:16:51] >> Reporter: SINCE ITS APRIL INSTEAD OF FEBRUARY, DRIVER FEELS THERE'S LESS URGENCY THAN INSTEAD OF FEBRUARY, DRIVER FEELS THERE'S LESS URGENCY THAN BEFORE, BUT SAYS THE PROCESS
[00:16:55] FEELS THERE'S LESS URGENCY THAN BEFORE, BUT SAYS THE PROCESS STILL SHOULDN'T TAKE TWO MONTHS. BEFORE, BUT SAYS THE PROCESS STILL SHOULDN'T TAKE TWO MONTHS. >> RIGHT?
[00:16:59] STILL SHOULDN'T TAKE TWO MONTHS. >> RIGHT? THAT'S COLD. >> RIGHT? THAT'S COLD. I THINK THAT'S REALLY COLD, AND
[00:17:02] THAT'S COLD. I THINK THAT'S REALLY COLD, AND LAST NIGHT WAS -7.
[00:17:05] Premium quality Pyrethrin insecticide powder Amira Al
[00:17:08] Kabir says he's been fighting off bed bugs in his apartment
[00:17:13] for years. I was using this powder,
[00:17:17] uh, from Canadian Tire
[00:17:21] and it's good for three months. He's a longtime tenant of this
[00:17:25] 44 unit Ng building, which offers affordable housing.
[00:17:29] 1 of 37 people who live here among bedbugs,
[00:17:31] mice and cockroach infestations. When we entered for the
[00:17:35] inspection, we realized that there's not
[00:17:38] even electricity in this apartment,
[00:17:42] but that the infestation is major. So you see,
[00:17:44] the band Garnier is part of a community organization that has
[00:17:49] stepped in to try to fix this. This is unacceptable. Besides
[00:17:52] those looking for subsidized housing,
[00:17:55] several people who live here are diagnosed with mental
[00:17:58] health conditions. For some, this building was a way to get
[00:18:02] off the streets. You could imagine this apartment like in
[00:18:06] a clean condition, like you have huge windows. You
[00:18:09] actually have two rooms. It's it's a perfect setting
[00:18:13] for for an affordable housing for an individual living alone.
[00:18:18] Garnier says the Ng Community Group stepped in in January
[00:18:22] after the previous managers quit. They recently committed
[00:18:25] $35, 000 to fumigate and they're
[00:18:27] calling for help. It's not in our budget. This is not our
[00:18:30] mandate. We're doing it because we wanna save. We wanna make
[00:18:34] sure those 44 people don't end up back in the street. The
[00:18:37] nonprofit that owns the building,
[00:18:39] Lush Markham Natasha Solidad Grand, or LCS G,
[00:18:42] and the building's previous manager of several years,
[00:18:45] Associated Discussion CAB, each denied blamed for the
[00:18:48] current state of the building.
[00:18:50] They ended their collaboration and have different views about
[00:18:54] what went wrong. LCG says the building is run by volunteers
[00:18:58] who face a colossal task. I can't be a management personnel
[00:19:02] and I can't be a healthcare personnel. I can't be a social
[00:19:06] worker. It becomes a full time job for a volunteer see that
[00:19:10] there is something like within the system that's it's obvious
[00:19:14] to me now that it's doesn't work. The NDG Community Council
[00:19:18] sustenance needs go beyond this current
[00:19:20] emergency. Garnier says the Regional Health authority needs
[00:19:24] to place intervention workers in the building permanently to
[00:19:28] provide health and social services. She says some of the
[00:19:32] tenants saw some of their in house services like clinic
[00:19:35] provided by this DLC suspended because of the infestation.
[00:19:39] Those people need support. We need the institution,
[00:19:42] we need the the system to jump in. In a statement to CBC News,
[00:19:46] the Health Authority of West Central Montreal said it's
[00:19:50] aware of the building situation and that some tenants are followed
[00:19:54] individually by its clinical teams. As for pauses and
[00:19:57] services, the health authority assess in
[00:20:00] such cases care isn't refused, but that service requests are
[00:20:03] reoriented to ensure that interventions are safe. A
[00:20:06] spokesperson added that other residents can access general
[00:20:10] health and psychosocial services through their usual
[00:20:13] point of entry, such as calling 811. Those
[00:20:15] people are very vulnerable, so that that's not acceptable.
[00:20:19] We asked the city Of Montreal for comment.
[00:20:21] They referred us to the borough. They caught the Nash and the G
[00:20:25] Burrows says it helped coordinate preparations for
[00:20:28] some of the apartment ahead of the fumigation. But As for
[00:20:32] paying for the fumigation, the borough says it can't
[00:20:35] provide any funding because the nonprofit LLC SG is considered
[00:20:39] a private owner. A private owner could raise the rent and
[00:20:43] make more money to pay whatever it is. But,
[00:20:45] and W Bell cannot do that. So we're kind of on between like
[00:20:49] this is a public service. So you could see like
[00:20:52] they've been having a mice party. Garnier says regardless
[00:20:56] of any systemic issues, the residents need help
[00:20:59] immediately.
[00:21:02] This is for tenants and advocates gathered this weekend
[00:21:04] in what they hope is a turning point for renters in Toronto.
[00:21:08] The launch of a citywide tenant union,
[00:21:13] the York Southwestern Tenants Union,
[00:21:15] now rebranding to cover the whole city,
[00:21:17] has a long history of organizing rent strikes and
[00:21:20] demonstrations. The union will bring them together with tenant
[00:21:24] groups, associations and individual
[00:21:26] renters who believe organizing on a broader level could help
[00:21:30] push for change. So localized. We found that when we reached
[00:21:34] out to politicians, nobody listened. But I feel
[00:21:37] that having a Toronto tenant union can definitely move the
[00:21:40] political dialogue partnered with Climate Justice Toronto,
[00:21:44] a perspective they say will help shed light on issues
[00:21:47] tenants face because of climate change. As an individual,
[00:21:51] your first interaction with the consequences of climate change
[00:21:55] are at home, you'll have heat rising in your
[00:21:57] building and you're you often don't have AC and if you do
[00:22:01] have AC, you have to pay extra. On
[00:22:03] launch day Saturday, the unions, founders and renters from
[00:22:06] across the city came together for a convention where they say
[00:22:10] there's a lot of work to do. Our goal
[00:22:12] is to elect our steering committees and our chairs and
[00:22:16] basically start 3 sections of the city. Going to Scarborough,
[00:22:21] we're gonna do downtown and we're gonna do York S Weston.
[00:22:25] The union has a $5 a month membership fee. Organizers say
[00:22:30] over 400 renters registered as of Saturday morning dose
[00:22:34] signing up hoping it leads to real change. They're raised the
[00:22:39] rent. We have issues with water. No cold water, no hot water
[00:22:43] with the right people to support us and the right people
[00:22:47] to to back us, we have faith. So yes,
[00:22:50] the Tenant Union is solidarity for people who doesn't know
[00:23:02] on bad landlords are underway, staff say evaluating buildings
[00:23:07] to fix issues isn't easy. But hearing from tenants is a
[00:23:10] crucial part of improving the process.
[00:23:13] We're doing actually with this report that's before council
[00:23:17] now is adjusting how we calculate that evaluation of
[00:23:19] the building to better reflect the actual conditions in it.
[00:23:23] That is part of our ongoing
[00:23:25] improvement process and that's informed a lot by consultations
[00:23:29] with tenants and tenants groups. Meanwhile,
[00:23:32] landlord groups say achieving a fair system demands solving
[00:23:35] some of their struggles, too. The cost to operate
[00:23:38] buildings, property taxes, insurance, maintenance,
[00:23:41] you know, all, all kinds of costs that go into
[00:23:44] running rental units continues to go up. So those tenant
[00:23:48] unions can work with us to see what exactly we need so we can
[00:23:51] all work together. The goal here is not tenants have beat
[00:23:55] the landlords
[00:23:56] that the landlords that beat the tenants. The goal is to
[00:23:59] create a rental leveled and fair rental housing market. The
[00:24:03] union's founders say they're open to work together down the
[00:24:06] line, but first on the agenda is to
[00:24:09] keep people housed and make sure they're living with
[00:24:12] dignity. Now Weingarden and CBC News Toronto.
[00:26:32] If the cost of renting or buying a property is making
[00:26:34] your head spin, there is 1/3 option. You might
[00:26:37] not have considered Co-op housing. It may not be
[00:26:40] something you've heard a lot about. That's because it makes
[00:26:43] up just a fraction of housing in Canada. Most co-ops that
[00:26:46] exist today were developed in the 1970s and 80s,
[00:26:49] and the few who live in them love how affordable they are.
[00:26:52] I often travel and people say, well, you know,
[00:26:55] where do you get the money for traveling? I said, well,
[00:26:58] I don't have to pay a mortgage. Waiting list for Co-op
[00:27:02] units are so long it can take years to get into one. So if
[00:27:05] demand for these units is so high,
[00:27:07] why aren't there more of them? Well,
[00:27:09] part of that answer is that they tend to need a lot of
[00:27:13] government support. And the second part is that starting
[00:27:16] one can be complicated. Let's start with the way housing
[00:27:19] co-ops work. Members are Co owners and vote on how the
[00:27:23] building is managed and as long as you follow the rules,
[00:27:26] you can stay as long as you want. Generally,
[00:27:28] housing co-ops are divided into two categories,
[00:27:31] nonprofit and equity
[00:27:33] co-ops. In an equity coop, you buy a share of a building,
[00:27:36] a share which can gain value overtime. But these are far
[00:27:39] less common than nonprofit co-ops. In those who aren't
[00:27:43] building equity, you simply pay a monthly fee
[00:27:45] that covers building expenses and maintenance,
[00:27:48] and when you leave, your unit goes to someone else.
[00:27:51] Dimitri Roussopoulos lives in one of those co-ops. He's one
[00:27:55] of the founders of Canada's largest housing cooperative
[00:27:58] development, the Milton Park Community. He's
[00:28:00] lived in this two-story townhouse since
[00:28:03] 1972, where all four residents pay
[00:28:05] under $1000 a month. And since the property is Co owned by
[00:28:09] Co-op members, no one has to worry about being
[00:28:12] evicted or the building being sold.
[00:28:14] I have a sense of ownership,
[00:28:17] I have a sense of security. I feel my personality enriched. I
[00:28:22] feel healthier in every way, mentally and physically.
[00:28:26] How much you save in a Co-op compared to the rental or
[00:28:30] buying market can really depend on the city,
[00:28:32] province and structure of the coop itself. According to the
[00:28:36] Cooperative Housing Federation of Canada, there are about 95,
[00:28:39] 000 Co-op housing units in Canada,
[00:28:41] most of them individual apartments. So could we start
[00:28:44] seeing more of these units? That's the hope. Governments
[00:28:47] are starting to get more involved again,
[00:28:49] but not to the extent that they were in the past. So.
[00:28:52] In the 1970s and 80s there was robust federal and provincial
[00:28:58] investment in new cooperative housing supply. That investment
[00:29:04] slowed down due to policy decisions by governments in 80s
[00:29:09] and 90s to 1st cut and then eliminate.
[00:29:13] Social housing funding
[00:29:16] the federal government has made some recent investments to
[00:29:19] build this kind of housing one example is the recently
[00:29:22] established Co-op housing development program. It offers
[00:29:25] loans and contributions to help co-ops get started in some
[00:29:29] cities are contributing to Montreal is now selling land
[00:29:32] for these projects at break even prices. The Quebec
[00:29:35] Confederation for Cooperative Housing says this is a good
[00:29:38] first start, but it's still a far cry from
[00:29:41] the government investments of the 70s and 80s. And that,
[00:29:44] paired with today's
[00:29:46] higher prices for land and labour mean that if you're
[00:29:48] starting a new Co-op, your costs up front are going
[00:29:51] to be a lot more than in an older Co-op. And on top of that,
[00:29:55] it can be a complicated process to set one up. It goes way
[00:29:58] beyond just creating the Co-op entity.
[00:30:01] Group of people need to get together and if they build
[00:30:05] their own property they need to hire not final site and and to
[00:30:10] buy the site, get permit to build and so on.
[00:30:14] These are processes
[00:30:16] that usually are very cumbersome and wrong.
[00:30:19] But the Quebec Co-op Confederation argues it's still
[00:30:22] worth it. It says that even if the upfront savings aren't as
[00:30:26] significant for new co-ops as the price of buying and renting
[00:30:30] goes up, Co-op residents will save money
[00:30:32] in the long term. Still, experts say that these kinds of
[00:30:36] living arrangements aren't for everyone.
[00:30:39] Of the reason is that we are individualistic in nature.
[00:30:44] People would like to own their own property,
[00:30:47] they'd suburbans. Once they move in,
[00:30:50] there can be there can be issues which getting along,
[00:30:55] how to share things and so on.