Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles was in Peterborough on Friday (November 21), expressing her party’s strong opposition to tabled legislation that she says will “make it easier for big corporate landlords to evict tenants.”
Bill 60, dubbed the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, passed its first reading on October 23.
The legislation introduces a number of proposals related to housing, infrastructure, and development, and includes several tenancy-related initiatives such as reducing compensation for renters being evicted, shortening eviction processes for rent arrears, limiting the time available for appeals of Landlord and Tenant Board decisions, and limiting renters’ rights to raise issues at rent arrears hearings.
Behind closed doors at Hunt Terraces on Bonnaccord Street, Stiles met with a small group that included city councillors Joy Lachica, Alex Bierk, and Keith Riel, along with community housing representatives. Both Riel and Bierk sit on the board of the Peterborough Housing Corporation.
Following that discussion, Stiles made her views on Bill 60 clear.
“We have a homelessness issue, not just here in Peterborough but all across the province,” said Stiles, adding that Bill 60 “is going to make it worse, not better.”
“The Landlord and Tenant Board isn’t working for anyone. It’s not working for small landlords. It’s not working for renters. We do need to address that, but the fix is not what this government has put in this legislation.”
“The (Ford) government is rushing through this bill. They’ve already got it to the point where the only thing left to do is have a final vote. We expect that to happen this Monday (November 24).”
“That’s really unfortunate. We’ve heard a big uproar from people across the province who are really worried. What they want is an opportunity to be heard — consultations and hearings, like we should be doing with every piece of legislation. But Doug Ford and his people have decided they’re not interested in hearing from people. They’re listening to big developers and they’re pushing it through in record time.”
Stiles said the NDP will introduce a motion Monday to force a debate on the bill. While she anticipates the bill will pass at some point, she’s hopeful rent controls for tenants and protections for those evicted by corporate landlords will be revisited, giving the Ford government “an opportunity to reverse course right away.”
“My message to people is it doesn’t end there. We have seen this government repeal bills. They’ve backtracked before. We have won battles weeks, months and, sometimes, years later. I’m going to keep putting the pressure on the government not to enact the legislation.”
“I know that (Peterborough-Kawartha MPP) Dave Smith and Conservative MPPs across the province are hearing from folks (on Bill 60). One of the largest groups worried about their housing is seniors on a fixed income. I know the Conservatives care about seniors — they need to listen to them and do the right thing. If anything, pause the legislation. Let’s have some hearings, let’s have debate and discussion.”
Asked what specific measures the NDP is asking for, Stiles quickly answered “real rent control.”
“We also we want to make sure that when a tenant leaves, there’s vacancy control so the next tenant doesn’t have an outrageous (rent) increase. We’ve got to stop rent from increasing at a rate far beyond what wages are rising at. That’s what has everything out of whack.”
“We’re also talking about introducing something called Homes Ontario. The province has got to get back into the business of building deeply affordable homes. We can’t rely on the market to do that. Developers want their piece, but we need a provincial agency that’s helping to build now.”
“Here in Peterborough, and in the region, there are so many exciting projects that the city and non-profit agencies are ready to build. They have the land. They have the plans. They just need provincial partner. The province should be prioritizing that.”
“For the last five weeks, I’ve been asking Doug Ford to straighten out his government. We have seen what I’ve called outright corruption on the part of this government; giving out grants and funds to their friends and donors. They won’t take responsibility for that. These are the hard-earned tax dollars of the people of Ontario. We need to end Doug Ford’s gravy train and start focusing on where people are at right now. Housing is a big part of that.”
Stiles added both provincial and federal governments stopped building affordable housing in the early 1990s. That has resulted in municipal governments trying to fill the void.
“The municipal taxpayer is bearing the cost of that,” she said. “We need to get back in the business of building deeply affordable homes. That means we need to have, just like every other province in the country, some sort of a provincial organization there to build truly affordable homes.”
“The people of Peterborough are going to continue to pay more and more for services the province downloads onto municipalities. When somebody loses their home, if they’re a renter and they’re evicted and they can’t afford housing, the services those people need, whether it’s shelter or other kinds of supports, are being borne by the municipality.”
“Doug Ford did away with rent control. We need to bring it back. And we need to build more housing that is truly deeply affordable for people. We need options. You know, right now, housing is not being built by anyone. This a moment for the province to get involved; to say this is a once in a generation opportunity to build homes that people truly need.”
Asked if there are any provinces in Canada currently addressing the affordable housing shortage effectively, Stiles answered quickly.
“British Columbia is doing an incredible job at building affordable housing, and bringing in controls to make sure that rent doesn’t go too high,” she said.
“They are ready to work with the federal government to build fast affordable homes. We can’t only rely on the private sector. We have to be looking at how governments can help coordinate some of this and fund it. BC is doing a great job, also cracking down on some of the worst big corporate landlords and those companies that are just amassing housing and then not actually renting. We have to control some of these things. That’s a role for government to play.”
Following her time at Hunt Terraces, Stiles visited One City Peterborough and, before leaving the city, knocked on a few doors to hear directly from residents.
Stiles’ visit to Peterborough comes two days after the United Way Peterborough & District released its 20th annual “Housing is Fundamental” report, which examines housing challenges, affordability trends, and housing-related pressures facing residents in Peterborough and the surrounding areas.
The report shows that rents have risen far faster than inflation over the past 20 years. For example, a two-bedroom apartment in the Peterborough area cost an average of over $1,500 per month in 2024 — an increase of almost 89 per cent since 2005 and $309 higher than inflation during that period. To afford a two-bedroom apartment, an individual or family requires an annual household income of over $60,000.
Stiles’ comments during her Peterborough visit echo some of the calls by the report’s researcher and author Paul Armstrong, including large-scale government investments in social and supportive housing and policy tools such as rent controls and vacancy controls to preserve affordability.
A native of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Stiles has been leader of the Ontario NDP and leader of the Official Opposition since 2023. She was first elected to Queen’s Park in 2018, representing the riding of Davenport in Toronto. She subsequently won re-election to her seat in 2022 and 2025.
