OFL requests freeze on commercial rent evictions

Bakeries and family-owned cafes are worried they may not be open after the quarantine lifts.

Small business owners are calling for a freeze on commercial rent evictions until the economy recovers from COVID-19: Governments at every level “must do more for workers and their families, when it comes to rent relief, the cancellation or abatement of rent, evictions, and utility payments,” stated Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) president Patty Coates.

Coates statement mentioned that prior to April 1, Doug Ford “assured tenants that if they could not pay their rent, they shouldn’t.” Coates went on the say that the province has yet to implement legislation that would allow for rent relief to occur.

“With Ontario’s legislature set to return for a sitting, the Ford government should be legislating rent relief,” stated Coates. “We are now almost halfway through April, and renters still have no guarantees about how the province will handle the financial strain that rent payments pose to tenants, many of whom have lost significant income due to the COVID-19 crisis,” added Coates.

The OFL has connected with community allies in calling on the provincial government to immediately subsidize household rent, up to $2,500 per home, per month for up to four months, and institute a six-month freeze on rent increases so that workers and their families have protections during the financial recovery, after the pandemic. The Ontario Federation of Labour echoes the urgent call to action of business groups, like the Better Way Alliance.

The Better Way Alliance is calling for rent abatements for tenants to cover commercial rent costs, retroactive to April 1, 2020, and lasting as long as public health officials orders require self-isolation and physical distancing, and considering the time needed for businesses to recover from closures and consumer spending to return to pre-crisis levels; AND/OR government funds allocated to cover the same costs.

“Making rent relief a reality requires government intervention. The banks should be mandated to pause mortgages for residential and commercial borrowers, and in turn, that relief should be passed on to tenants,” said Coates. “Further delays in providing this needed support to workers, their families and small businesses will be detrimental to employment stability and economic recovery.”