Item - 2026.EX29.14

Mayor Olivia Chow recommends that:

1. City Council request the City Manager to put in place a previously contemplated but never implemented consolidated, cross-divisional database for tracking investigation and enforcement activity at rental properties that have multiple complaints, so that all divisions, agencies, boards and commissions can coordinate their activity, no later than July 2026; and make this database publicly available.

2. City Council request the Deputy City Manager, Development & Growth, to convene an ongoing coordinating and implementation table led by the Housing Secretariat, with support from Municipal Licensing & Standards, Public Health, Toronto Fire, Legal Services, and Toronto Building to coordinate enforcement, including remedial action when necessary, between the named divisions.

3. Executive Committee direct the City Solicitor to report directly to the March 25, 2026 meeting of City Council on any provincial regulatory or legislative changes that would make it easier for the City of Toronto to take remedial action and increase penalties for bad landlords in order to improve landlord compliance on meeting property standards.

4. City Council request the City Manager to implement a policy across all divisions that in the event a problem landlord is identified through repeated violations, that all divisions should initiate proactive investigations into any additional properties owned by the same individual or company, and that such buildings be identified as ‘problem buildings’ to be treated with more intensive, dedicated resources and attention for compliance.

5. City Council request the Housing Secretariat lead the delivery of remedial action at 500 Dawes Road, as is determined to be appropriate, in order to facilitate the leveraging of assistance from City partners including TCHC and CUPE 416 to tap into the vast database of vendors and resources available to the City of Toronto to support remedial action as appropriate. And further, use the ongoing remedial action at 500 Dawes Rd to inform the policy framework coming to Council in April 2026, including demonstrating the most effective methods used to engage residents at 500 Dawes Road on coordinated pest abatement measures.

6. City Council authorize the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, to negotiate and enter into any agreements required to implement Recommendation 5.

7. City Council direct the City Manager, to include in the planned report on RentSafe to City Council in April 2026, a roster of contractors to carry out emergency repairs, pest and mold abatement, and other remediation, as directed by City Council at its May 2025 meeting.

Half of Torontonians rent their homes. Landlords must live up to their responsibilities to maintain safe, clean, dignified housing. When landlords fail this basic responsibility, renters deserve to know the City will be there to help.

This is why my budget hires more RentSafeTO officers who have the authority to make landlords fix problems. My 2026 budget funded 73 officers, double what we had in 2023. Soon, RentSafeTO will add colour-coded signs on apartment buildings to hold landlords accountable. However, this is not enough.

I will not tolerate slumlords in the City of Toronto.

When buildings reach a point where our normal system of inspection and enforcement has failed, where the landlord is refusing to fix their buildings and forcing tenants to accept unsafe and unhealthy homes, the City must get tougher.

This property has been visited dozens of times by Toronto Fire, Toronto Public Health, Municipal Licensing & Standards, and Toronto Building. Dozens of violations have been found, with many winding up in court, and despite successful prosecution the maintenance work is not done by the landlord.

This is where Remedial Action comes in. The City has the power to hire contractors to complete the necessary repairs and bill the landlord through their property tax bill. While the City has not traditionally used these powers to their fullest extent - I am committed to seeing that change. This is why City staff are developing a framework to guide when and where remedial action is appropriate.

In the meantime, tenants at 500 Dawes continue to deal with worsening conditions. That’s not acceptable. The following recommendations will help staff be prepared to advance remedial action at 500 Dawes as necessary, as quickly as possible and use the learnings to inform our city-wide approach to remedial action. We do not have to wait for a report to start the work. We must demonstrate to persistently bad landlords that the impunity they have enjoyed for many years is over.