CP24: Torontonians facing 'demoviction' are organizing to fight for their right to housing
by Joanna Lavoie, Friday, April 21, 2023
Excerpt: "Currently in Toronto, there are 73 residential building demolition applications, which could displace tenants in 3,400 units.
Geoff Hayworth, a tenant organizer with the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations, said so far this year he’s seen a notable uptick in the number of renters in the city raising concerns about being displaced by demolition or renovations.
He said many of the tenants he’s spoken with fear they’ll be pushed out of the city because they can no longer afford to live here. He also pointed to provincial laws that he said are usually not enforced when it comes to landlords informing rent-controlled tenants that they can return to their unit once a property is redeveloped.
“(This practice) is completely uprooting people’s lives,” said Hayworth, whose job is to help educate and support renters when it comes to their right to housing.
In late 2022, Hayworth assisted tenants at 55 Brownlow Ave., near Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue, who are also facing possible demoviction, in their efforts to get organized.
Earlier this year, those renters started working with tenants at 25 St. Mary St. and 145 St. George St. and founded a new group called No Demovictions."