November 22, 2018 Sandy Shaw, MPP for Hamilton-West - Ancaster - Dundas rose in the house to defend rent control in Ontario citing Hamilton's growing affordable housing crisis.
"We know that changes are coming to rent control, changes that will only hurt those already suffering in an affordable housing crisis" said Ms. Shaw, going on to say:
"I think about how right now in Hamilton—and in many of our communities, but particularly in Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas—we have an affordable housing crisis. We have more and more families struggling to pay their basic rent. There are too many families in my riding who are spending over 50% of their income on rent. Yet this government has decided to remove rent control initiatives.
I’d like to echo my colleague from Toronto Centre, 'Not only does this drive up the cost of living for people, but it means that in rental homes without rent control, any month could be the month that a family gets a rent hike notice that makes their home unaffordable.'
Rent increases in Hamilton are already skyrocketing faster than the rest of the province, and this will do nothing to solve that.
We have to believe that everyone deserves to be able to find a decent, reasonably priced place to live. Already, too many throughout the province know the frustration of searching for a home they can afford, and too many feel the squeeze from paying high rent prices. Things are already getting tougher, and this government is fueling this fire with more rent hikes through their change to rent controls.
In addition, this government is also cancelling the Development Charges Rebate Program. That’s a $100-million cut to affordable housing initiatives."