by Bob Levitt (v1.3) July 2005 (Copyright)
Versions have been issued on the Internet since March 1995
This text is meant as a resource for tenants in Ontario.
I am posting this to give tenants sources of information and some basic information so that you can help yourselves.
Please do not e-mail me for information, I do not respond to requests for help on individual problems. If you want to organize a tenants' association in your building or area I would suggest you contact OCAP
I do not and never have received any money for doing these postings, and am not looking for any, but neither do I wish to represent anybody.
The following are just a few of the issues that are now facing tenants. For the other particular problems see the Ontario Tenants Most Asked Questions and Their Answers
Remember the only rights you have are the rights you are informed about and stand up for.
There are tenants' organizations that not only help to inform you, they also help you to organize yourselves, and they lobby for tenant rights with our governments. They lobby with the governments to keep rents at reasonable affordable levels, and for regulations to ensure safe and decent housing, and so deserve your support.
Landlords have their own lobbying organizations who successfully convinced the provincial government to reduce tenant rights and are further lobbying to loosen building and health standards.
The following organizations represent the voices of tenants and the poor. Support them and you are supporting yourself.
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty 416-925-6939
West Lodge Tenants Association, a Parkdale Tenants Association
For Toronto public housing tenants, you have your own tenants association, the Toronto Housing Association of Tenants or call them at 416-397-0521
There is also a listing of community legal clinics throughout Ontario at the end of this text for low-income tenants you can access by clicking here.
You can often get assistance from your City Councillor or MPP's offices. You can find out how to reach them through my Government Web links page
The Ontario government's Residential Tenancies Act, which came into effect on January 31, 2007, repealed the Tenant Protection Act though it has many similarities. If you are upset about this law you will likely want more information from your community legal and information clinic and tenants' association. If you are upset over the governments landlord tenant act, you should both write and call your MPP and Premier McGuinty, and on letters be sure to write "Personal and Confidential" on the envelope.
His address is:
Premier Dalton McGuinty
Room 281, Legislative Building,
Queen's Park,
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1A1.
The Residential Tenancies Act can be read at: TPA
What is known, is that:
There continues to be Vacancy Decontrol. Whenever a tenant moves out of a unit, the landlord will be able to charge the new tenant anything they wish. This is a direct financial incentive for unscrupulous landlords to force tenants out to get huge rent increases.
The Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal is being renamed the Landlord and Tenant Board and adjudicators continue to be government appointees. All decisions are final and can NOT be appealed in court.
If each and every tenant does not sign and is therefore not included in any tenant application, they will not reap the benefits of such a tenant application. Under the old Rent Control Act if even one tenant applied for a rent decrease and the Ministry found the condition applied to all units, their order would automatically apply to all units whether or not the others knew about the application; they would all benefit. Under this new law it is very important if you have a bad landlord to organize a tenants' association in your building.
Housing is regulated by the province and municipalities. Housing issues are regulated by the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing primarily under the Residential Tenancies Act, and by your particular municipality primarily under their Building's Inspections, Fire, and Health departments. Rent increases are the jurisdiction of the province, and building standards are first the jurisdiction of the municipality but can also be taken to the province's Landlord and Tenant Board for a fee.
The Ontario Ministry of Housing has publications that not only inform you of your rights but also your obligations as a tenant. It is a good idea to call the government's Landlord and Tenant Board at 1-888-332-3234 (416-645-8080 in the 416 calling area) to get all the available forms and literature or go to the site for the Landlord and Tenant Board.
Contact your neighbours. They may have similar problems. If you act together you will be more effective.
Call your landlord and tell them about the problem(s). Ask when they will be fixed. Keep a written diary of the dates of telephone calls and their subject as well as copies of all letters you send or receive for future reference.
Write a letter to the landlord asking for the repair to be done. Give the date you first told the landlord about the problem. Put in the date you expect the repair to be done by.
If the repair is not done in reasonable time, call the local government department that looks after your problem. (eg. Buildings and Inspections Department and/or their Health Department) Make an appointment with an inspector to inspect your apartment (this is FREE). You can find the telephone numbers in the blue pages section of your telephone (white) pages.
If you do not get the service you expect, call your alderperson/city councillor or the Mayor's office to help you. Your local M.P.P.'s constituency office can also be of help.
If the repair is still not done, contact a legal clinic or lawyer. You may need to take your landlord to court, or take other legal action to get the work done.
REMEMBER: Document everything you can. This documentation will be necessary if you take your landlord to the Tribunal, or if you want to get a rent reduction for a lack of services. Otherwise it will just be your word against the landlord's.
Examples of repair problems include: no heat, no water, cockroaches, mice, noise-problems and dirty conditions.
These clinic will assist you with specific legal problems, if you are have a low income. You should pick the one that is the most appropriate, or that is closest to you. They may ask you your address to see if you are in their area and if you are not, they should direct you to the most appropriate clinic.
They do have income criteria and only provide assistance to those with lower incomes. If you do not qualify and need legal advice, the Law Society of Upper Canada do provide a ($6 charge on your phone bill) lawyer referral service that includes a free one-half hour consultation: Their lawyer referral service phone number is 1-900-565-4577 and remember it will cost you $6 for the call.
Listings are first by general area. sorted by telephone area code, and then are alphabetical, so look thoroughly through the list to find the clinic most appropriate for you. There may be more than one clinic in your town or area.
Please call them and make an appointment with them before you go visit their offices.
| Click below on your telephone area code to find your community's legal aid clinics | ||
| Speciality Clinics | Area code 289 | Area code 416 |
| Area code 519 | Area code 613 | Area code 647 |
| Area code 705 | Area code 807 | Area code 905 |
Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA)
They only handle situations where tenants are not being let into a
building (given a lease) because of discrimination on the basis of family
status, gender, race, martial status, income, etc.
416 - 944-0087
or if you are outside of the greater Toronto Area 1-800-263-1139
Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto
197 Spadina Avenue, Suite #600
Toronto
416 - 408-3967
Advocacy Centre for the Elderly
2 Carleton Street, Suite #701
Toronto
416 - 598-2656
Advocacy Resource Centre for the Handicapped
425 Bloor Street East, Suite 110
Toronto
Voice: 416 - 482-8255 or toll-free 866 - 482-ARCH (2724)
TTY: 416 - 482-1254 or toll-free 866 - 482-ARCT (2728)
FAX: (416) 482-2981 or toll-free 866 - 881-ARCF (2723)
African Canadian Legal Clinic
330 Bay Street, Suite #306,
Toronto
416 - 214-4747
Centre for Spanish-Speaking Peoples
1004 Bathurst Street
Toronto
416 - 533-0680
Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic
180 Dundas Street West, Suite 1701
Toronto
416 - 971-9674
CMSC French Legal Aid Services
22 College Street, Suite 305
Toronto
416 - 922-2672
Downsview Community Legal Services
893 Sheppard Avenue West
Downsview
416 - 635-8388
East Toronto Community Legal Services
1320 Gerrard Street East
Toronto
416 - 461-8102
Flemingdon Community Legal Services
49 The Donway West, Suite 205
Don Mills
416 - 441-0969 (between 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. weekdays)
Jane Finch Community Legal Services
1315 Finch Avenue West, Suite #409
Downsview
416 - 398-0677
Kensington-Bellwoods Community Legal Services
489 College Street, Suite #205
Toronto
416 - 924-4244
Neighbourhood Legal Services
333 Queen Street East
Toronto
416 - 861-0677
Parkdale Community Legal Services
1226 Queen Street West
Toronto
416 - 531-2411
Rexdale Community Legal Clinic
500 Rexdale Boulevard, The Woodbine Centre
Rexdale
416 - 741-5201
Scarborough Community Legal Services
695 Markham Road, Suite #9
Scarborough
416 - 438-7182
South Etobicoke Community Legal Service
5353 Dundas Street West, Suite 210
Toronto
416 - 252-7218
West Scarborough Community Legal Services
2425 Eglinton Street East, Suite 201
Scarborough
416 - 285-4460
West Toronto Community Legal Services
672 Dupont Street, Suite #315
Toronto
416 - 531-7376
Willowdale Community Legal Services
245 Fairview Mall Drive, Suite #106
Willowdale
416 - 492-2437
York Community Services
1651 Keele Street
Toronto
416 - 653-5400
Brant County Community Legal Clinic
1100 Clarence St. South, Suite 203
Brantford
(519) 752-8669
Waterloo Region Community Legal Services
Cambridge Satellite Office
(519) 653-1640
Chatham-Kent Legal Clinic
6 Harvey Street
Chatham
(519) 351-6771
Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County
11 Wyndham Street
Guelph
(519) 821-2100
Waterloo Region Community Legal Services
170 Victoria Street South
Kitchener
(519) 743-0254
Neighbourhood Legal Services (London and Middlesex)
89 King Street
London
(519) 438-2890
Grey Bruce Community Legal Clinic
Owen Sound Professional Centre
945 3rd Avenue East, Suite 2
Owen Sound
(519) 370-2200
Community Legal Assistance Sarnia
201 Front Street North
Sarnia
(519) 332-8055
Elgin-Oxford Legal Clinic
98 Centre Street
St. Thomas
(519) 633-2638
Huron-Perth Legal Clinic
59 Lorne Avenue East
Stratford
(519) 271-4556
Legal Assistance of Windsor
85 Pitt Street East
Windsor
(519) 256-7831
Windsor/Essex Bilingual Legal Clinic
595 Tecumseh Blvd East
Windsor
(519) 253-3526
Hastings & Prince Edward Legal Services
158 George Street, Level 1
Belleville
(613) 966-8686
Community Legal Clinic
6 Glennwood Place, #1 A
Brockville
(613) 345-6158
Clinique Juridique Stormont Dundas and Glengarry Legal Clinic
1 McConnell
Cornwall
(613) 932-2703
Clinique Juridique Populaire De Prescott Et Russell
482 Main Street East
Hawkesbury
(613) 632-1136
Kingston Community Legal Clinic
345 Bagot Street
Kingston
(613) 541-0777
Community Legal Services (Ottawa-Carleton)
1 Nicholas Street, Suite #422
Ottawa
(613) 241-7008
Ottawa Criminal Law Office
200 Elgin Street, Suite 204
Ottawa
(613) 233-0239
South Ottawa Community Legal Services
1355 Bank Street, Suite #406
Ottawa
(613) 733-0140
West End Legal Services
1301 Richmond Road
Ottawa
(613) 596-1641
Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Legal Clinic
10 Sunset Blvd.
Perth
(613) 264-8888
Renfrew County Legal Clinic
236 Stewart Street, Suite #101
Renfrew
(613) 432-8146
Rural Legal Services
P.O. Box 359
Sharbot Lake K0H 2P0
(613) 279-3252
Muskoka Legal Clinic
8B Ontario Street
Bracebridge
(705) 645-6607
Elliot Lake & North Shore Community Legal Clinic
29 Manitoba Road
Elliot Lake
(705) 461-3935
Clinique Juridique Grand Nord
2 Ash Street
Kapuskasing
(705) 337-6200
Keewaytinok Native Legal Services
40 Revillon Road North
Moosonee
(705) 336-2981
Nipissing Community Legal Clinic
107 Shirreff Street, Suite #214
North Bay
(705) 476-6603
Community Legal Clinic - Simcoe, Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes
71 Colborne Street East
Orillia
(705) 326-6444
Peterborough Community Legal Centre
150 King Street, 4th Floor
Peterborough
(705) 749-9355
Algoma Community Legal Clinic
163 East Street
Sault Ste. Marie
(705) 942-4900
Sudbury Community Legal Clinic
128 Pine Street, Suite #100
Sudbury
(705) 674-3200
Timmins-Temiskaming Community Legal Clinic
202-119 Pine Street South
Timmins
(705) 267-0300
Rainy river District Community Legal Clinic
601 Mowat Avenue
Fort Frances
(807) 274-5327
Kenora Community Legal Clinic
Ste. 6 - 308 Second Street South
Kenora
(807) 468-8888
Sioux Lookout Community Legal Clinic
76 Front Street
Sioux Lookout
(807) 737-3074
Family Law Office
30b St. Paul Street
Thunder Bay
(807) 346-2950
Kinna-aweya Legal Clinic
86 South Cumberland Street
Thunder Bay
(807) 344-2478
Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services
86 S. Cumberland Street
Thunder Bay
(807) 622-1413
Brampton Community Legal Clinic
24 Queen Street East, Suite #601
Brampton
(905) 455-0160
Northumberland Community Legal Centre
1005 William Street, Suite #301
Cobourg
(905) 373-4464
Halton Community Legal Services
72 Mill Street
Georgetown
(905) 877-5256
Dundurn Community Legal Services
110 King St. W. (Jackson Square, Plaza Level)
Hamilton
(905) 527-4572
Hamilton Mountain Legal and Community Services
550 Fennell Avenue East, Suite #218
Hamilton
(905) 575-9590
McQuesten Legal and Community Services
1440 Main Street East
Hamilton
(905) 545-0442
Georgina Community Legal Services
155 Riverglen Drive, Unit #13
Keswick
(905) 476-8018
Mississauga Community Legal Services
130 Dundas Street East, Suite # 501A
Mississauga
(905) 896-2052
Durham Community Legal Clinic
Executive Tower - Oshawa Centre
419 King Street West, Suite #207
Oshawa
(905) 728-7321
Niagara North Community Legal Assistance
8 Church Street
St. Catharines
(905) 682-6635
Community Legal Clinic of York Region
21 Dunlop Street, Suite 200
Richmond Hill
(905) 508-5018
Community Legal Services of Niagara South
3 Cross Street, 2nd Floor
Welland
(905) 735-1559
Community legal clinics do not handle criminal cases. For those, you need to go directly to your Legal Aid Ontario office to get a certificate to use with a private lawyer who takes such certificates. You can find the list of Legal Aid Clinics, (and specialty injured workers clinics, Toronto only) in your area by clicking here