Motion Passes on Toronto Demoviction (or Rental Replacement) Implementation Guidelines

Figure 1

Due to No Demovictions' ongoing input, recommendations, and advocacy, a review of Rental Replacement (demovictions) Practices will now better support displaced tenants. However, what has been recommended still doesn't go far enough.

To watch the item in full, click here, it is from 5:41:00 - 6:45:08.

On Thursday, April 10th, No Demovictions headed to City Hall for the Planning and Housing Committee meeting about Implementation Guidelines for Rental Replacement (PH20.02).

During November and December 2025, City Planning consulted tenant organizers, people with lived experience, and developers on Toronto's Rental Replacement Policy and Practices. You can read more about that process here, as well as the 42-page document of recommendations that were made by us. The City then put out a report, and several practice recommendations based on this consultation process. Here's the thing:

Figure 2

Of our 40 recommendations:

• Only 5 were fully taken on board by the City

• Roughly 13 were touched on/we were told they would be considered

• And the remaining 22 were not even mentioned

First, we want to acknowledge that the recommendations made by the City based on the consultations (the 5 that were fully taken onboard) are a great start. They increase moving allowances, provide an in-depth resource for tenants, create two additional tenant meetings, place emphasis on the importance of seniority based on accessibility and size, and put in place additional compensation for vulnerable tenants.

Figure 3

But not only do these recommendations not go far enough (brushing over or completely ignoring the other 35 recommendations), but the focus of this review has shifted from a 'Practice and Policy Review', to simply a 'Practice Review'. As you can see from City of Toronto provided materials in figure 3, the initial goal was to also review policy––something we were told may be done in future (with no guarantees!).

It is vital that we continue to push for better practices, and actual policy changes––the original intention of these consultations and review.

These are just some of the policy changes that we recommended:

• 7.1) Guarantee That Rental Replacement Units Cannot be Turned into Market Units for More Than 20 Years

• 7.2) Require a 3% or Higher Vacancy Rate to Evict Tenants for Demolition

• 7.3) Ensure Developers Replace Rental Units Even During A Healthy Market

• 7.4) Extend Tenant Assistance Plan to Projects with 3 Units or More

• 7.5) Work with Tenant Organizations to Advocate for a Right of First Refusal Policy

• 7.6) Work with Tenant Organizations to. Advocate for a Use It or Lose It (UIOLI) Clause

• 7.7) Extend the Rental Replacement Policy to All Units

Figure 4

So, what can we do now? Well, we continue to advocate for change, working with City staff, councillors, and other organizations to ensure that we are preserving the stock of affordable purpose-built rental buildings in Toronto and protecting the tenants who live in them.

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We were grateful to have the support of Josh Matlow and his team to ensure some additional items were considered in protecting demovicted tenants. Shout out to Sebastien Gibson and Andrew Athanasiu, two of Matlow's tireless staffers who also helped us increase rent gap payments last year! You can read the motion they put forward on April 10th at the bottom of this page, and the work they helped us with last year on this page.

Figure 5

Thank you to the over 110 people and organizations who supported us by sending in emails to Planning and Housing Committee in advance of April 10th. We can't do this work without you, and are incredibly grateful for your support!

While we understand that this is a process, it is frustrating to learn about roadblocks that stand in the way of strengthening protections for tenants. From delaying budget discussions for political reasons to not wanting to anger the development industry, 'just doing what is right for the greatest number of people' is no longer the only consideration when approving or denying policies, practices, or motions.

Real change is incumbent on us––all of us––working together by gathering in community, staying informed about what is happening at City Hall, and fighting for the future we want.