The Big Bang Event of Ontario’s Housing Shortage Crisis
Housing Provider
An in-depth analysis tracing Ontario’s ongoing housing crisis back to the "Big Bang" of rent control policies from the 1970s.
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You’ve heard the word, plastered across social media and shouted at protests: “renovictions.”
It’s a catchy phrase designed to evoke images of greedy landlords throwing tenants into the cold to make a quick buck. It’s a word that demands an emotional response. But, like all good catchphrases, it’s worth unpacking – especially when we’re talking about Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) and the now infamous N13 eviction forms.
Let’s get something straight, “renoviction” is a bit of a linguistic overstatement.
Data shows that N13 evictions, which allow landlords to evict tenants for the purpose of major renovations, represent an overwhelmingly small number of cases in Ontario. According to the LTB’s most recent numbers, only 2% of all eviction applications are N13-related. That’s hardly an epidemic.
Yet, the outrage surrounding “renovictions” has ballooned to the point where one might think every tenant in the province is at risk of losing their home because their landlord wants to put in new hardwood floors.
Now, let’s talk about the other side of the coin—the one that doesn’t quite fit into the headlines or viral TikToks. Renovations aren’t inherently evil, in fact, they’re crucial.
Imagine, for a moment, a province where landlords weren’t allowed to renovate. Picture your rental unit with a 1980s kitchen, a furnace that could double as a medieval torture device, and windows that invite the cold Canadian winter in like a non-paying tenant.
How long would it take before the very same advocates railing against renovictions would be yelling at their MPPs about unsafe, dilapidated living conditions?
There’s a delicious irony in the discourse around N13 evictions. The tenants and advocates screaming loudest about landlords using the N13 as a “get-rich-quick” scheme are often the same voices demanding stronger standards for rental properties.
We can’t have it both ways. Landlords need to maintain their properties, and that sometimes requires extensive renovations—ones that might just make a unit uninhabitable for a time.
Of course, this isn’t to say there aren’t bad actors. We all know there are landlords out there taking advantage of loopholes, and that’s a legitimate concern. But should the whole system be demonized because of the actions of a few opportunists?
Not every landlord who files an N13 is plotting to turn your basement apartment into a boutique Airbnb. In reality, they’re likely trying to keep their building up to code, meet new environmental standards, or ensure that you, dear tenant, have a safe place to live.
To be fair, Ontario’s LTB isn’t exactly winning awards for efficiency or fairness. The system is slow, backlogged, and seemingly allergic to reform. Cases typically languish for a year or more, leaving both tenants and landlords in limbo.
Add to that the inconsistent rulings, no adherence to justice, and you’ve got a recipe for frustration on both sides. But to pin the LTB’s failures solely on N13 evictions is to miss the bigger picture. The board is failing everyone—tenants who face long wait times for repairs, landlords who can’t collect rent, and yes, even those trying to legitimately renovate their properties.
So, what’s the solution? First, let’s cool the rhetoric. “Renoviction” may sound good in a tweet, but it doesn’t represent the complexity of the issue. We need to strike a balance between protecting tenants from predatory landlords while allowing property owners to maintain and improve their buildings. The answer isn’t to demonize landlords for filing an N13, but to demand a more transparent, accountable, and faster LTB process.
Ultimately, if we want a rental market with safe, clean, and modern housing, we must accept that renovations are part of the deal. Without them, we’d all be living in shabby, worn-out units—and believe me, there would be no shortage of complaints about that.
So, the next time someone throws around the word “renoviction,” ask them this: Would you rather live in a well-maintained building or one that hasn’t seen a toolbox in decades?
Because, let’s be honest—no one wins when the roof is leaking.
Lorinda Seward has an Masters Degree in Cultural Studies with a specialization in Gender and Social Justice Studies from Trent University.
As a Research Assistant at Trent University, her approach is guided through a feminist lens as she conducts literature reviews and synthesizes complex research data. Guided by the feminist research principle of connecting personal experiences to broader social and political frameworks, Lorinda's research is largely centered around gender-based violence.
As a Small Landlord, she went through the experience of a tenancy dispute and now shares her experience with others.
