Residents of three buildings in Toronto’s eastern area and their landlord have officially settled a prolonged dispute that spanned over two years.
Back in May 2023, approximately 100 tenants residing at 71, 75, and 79 Thorncliffe Park Drive in East York opted to halt rent payments in protest against what they deemed as worsening living conditions alongside a rent increase.
The landlord, Starlight Investments, along with the renters who were facing potential evictions, have come to a mutually agreeable resolution, albeit keeping the specific terms confidential.
According to involved parties, the tenants have resumed regular rent payments.
Moreover, Philip Zigman, a dedicated tenant advocate who supported the Thorncliffe Park Drive community, commended the successful negotiation, highlighting the collective strength of grassroots organizing among working-class individuals.
Zigman emphasized that the residents’ victory could potentially serve as a blueprint for other Toronto tenants encountering similar challenges, encouraging them to unite and push for better living conditions through organized efforts.
The Thorncliffe Park Drive residents’ actions captured public attention, garnered appreciation from activists, and triggered a ripple effect as other tenant communities initiated rent strikes in solidarity.
Following the initial protest by Thorncliffe renters, occupants of 33 King Street and 22 John Street in Toronto’s western area, as well as tenants at 1440 and 1442 Lawrence Avenue West in the northern part of the city, also launched their own rent strikes.
An organizer from the York South-Weston Tenant Union shared that the rent strike at the King Street and John Street locations concluded after 16 months, with both parties mutually agreeing to the terms.
Simultaneously, residents of the Lawrence Avenue buildings achieved an early success when the Landlord and Tenant Board issued a temporary order mandating repairs in over a hundred units.