Tight vote expected as Toronto councillors once again consider legalizing rooming houses

Toronto city council is expected to make a long-awaited decision at its upcoming meeting on whether to legalize and regulate rooming houses throughout the city.

Mayor John Tory deferred the vote in July, saying the proposed framework didn't have enough support to pass, including from his hand-picked executive committee. The issue is scheduled to come up again sometime during the council meeting that convenes Friday and stretches into next week.

At a news conference Wednesday, Tory remained tight-lipped on if he'd changed any minds over the last two months on what he called "one of the most complex issues" he's dealt with as mayor.

He said he's still having discussions with councillors and staff have received "a considerable amount" of input from residents.

"I'm not in a position to say where we'll end up with this when the council meets," Tory said. 

Toronto's current patchwork of rules governing rooming or multi-tenant houses predates amalgamation — they're only legal in the former cities of Toronto and parts of Etobicoke and York.

The proposed plan would allow rooming houses of up to six bedrooms across the city, have parking and washroom rules and require landlords to be licensed. It also would include a new multi-housing tribunal to support tenants and enforcement and compliance teams to carry out annual inspections.

'The answer is no'

Coun.Cynthia Lai, who represents Ward 23, Scarborough North, said she didn't support the plan in July and, after meetings with staff, she doesn't support it now. 

"No, the work has not been done to my satisfaction; literally there hasn't been anything done," she said. "Some of the concerns my residents have has not been dealt with. Unfortunately, in its current form, the answer is no."

She said her constituents want the number of rooms to be limited to four instead of six, the owner to be required to live there, as well as a limit on the number of multi-tenant homes per street to avoid parking issues. They are also skeptical landlords would follow the new rules, or that the city would enforce them, Lai said. 

"With the amount of illegal rooming houses in our neighbourhood now, [Municipal Licensing And Standards] is not really tackling that issue," Lai said. "We need to deal with what's going on now to make it better than starting the whole new legalization." 

Thousands living in rooming houses

Coun. Joe Cressy, who represents Ward 10, Spadina Fort-York, said the decision is straightforward: illegal or not, thousands of residents are already living in rooming houses because they are one of Toronto's last affordable housing options, and the city's plan adds regulation and consistency.

"It's actually affordable if you're on social assistance or you've lost your job," Cressy said. "For many, people are just struggling to make ends meet. And so we as a city need to do everything we can to not only protect the affordable housing stock, but actually grow it." 

At the council meeting in July, city staff said monthly rents in rooming houses range from $400 to $700, while the average studio apartment rent is $1,100.

There are currently two Ontario Land Tribunal challenges to the city's current patchwork of regulations, according to a new report from the city solicitor, which also include confidential attachments not made public.

The appellants argue keeping rooming houses illegal is inconsistent with planning and human rights laws and exclude people from housing based on personal circumstances such as receiving public assistance, having a disability and family status. 

"I think councillors should support this vote because it's the right thing to do for the safety and affordability of housing, but it is also consistent with a human rights approach," Cressy said.