Over a hundred tenants at 1440 and 1442 Lawrence Ave W have been on rent strike against Barney River Investments since October 1st. As the rent strike continues into its fifth month, tenants rallied outside of the Barney River property management office this afternoon and served notice that they will be filing against Barney River at the LTB for tenant rights abuses and serious breaches of their maintenance obligations.
The following community solidarity letter was started by Weston King Neighbourhood Centre. If you represent a nonprofit or community organization and would like to sign the letter, you can add your organization here.
To: Dream Unlimited
CC: Michael Cooper, CEO of Dream Unlimited
Krystal Koo, Chair Dream Community Foundation
We, the undersigned community organizations, stand with our neighbours in 33 King St and 22 John St as they seek fair rent increases of no more than the provincial guideline.
Despite being a rent controlled building, rent at 33 King has increased 3 times higher than rent control and 3 times higher than wages have increased in the last 5 years. Even in 2021, Dream Unlimited ignored the pandemic rent freeze and increased rents by 3 percent.
At 22 John, on average Dream Unlimited is increasing monthly rents $100-$300 every year just because they can. This building is not protected by rent control, despite being built on public land with millions of dollars of public funding.
Stable housing is a key component of a healthy community. Our whole community suffers when our neighbours – who support our local economy, who are members of our churches, mosques and other places of worship, who contribute to the social fabric of our community and whose children go to school with our children – are under constant threat of losing their homes because of excessive rent increases.
There is no amount of charitable programming that can address this affordable housing crisis, but you can make rent fair at 33 King and 22 John. With more than 50 percent of the rent Dream Unlimited collects as profit, we are looking to Dream Unlimited to show leadership by following rent control.
The rent strikes at 33 King and 22 John have our full support, and we urge you to come to a fair agreement with their tenant union, the York South Weston Tenant Union, as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Weston King Neighbourhood Centre
Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services
Bangladeshi-Canadian Community Services (BCS)
Black Urbanism TO
Centre for Spanish Speaking Peoples Legal Clinic
Davenport Perth Neighbourhood & Community Health Centre
Ethno Racial Disability Coalition ON (ERDCO)
Falstaff Foodbank Food For You
Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations
First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto
FoodShare Toronto
For Youth Initiative
Hadi Islamic Association
Jane and Alliance Neighbourhood Services
Jane Finch Action Against Poverty (JFAAP)
Jane Finch Housing Coalition
For Youth Initiative
Hadi Islamic Association
Jane and Alliance Neighbourhood Services
Jane Finch Action Against Poverty (JFAAP)
Jane Finch Housing Coalition
Keele and Eglinton Residents Group
Latin American Cultural Centre
Livmore High Park Tenants' Association
Learning Enrichment Foundation
Mount Dennis Community Association
Mount Dennis Neighbourhood Centre
MPP Jessica Bell, Housing Critic, Ontario New Democratic Party
North York Community House
North York Harvest Food Bank
North York Women's Centre
Oakwood Vaughan Community Organization
Oakwood Vaughan Tenant Union
ODSP Action Coalition
Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC)
Ralph Thornton Community Centre
Right to Housing Toronto
Social Planning Toronto
Society For the Living Food Bank
South Asian Women's Centre
Learning Enrichment Foundation
Mount Dennis Community Association
Mount Dennis Neighbourhood Centre
MPP Jessica Bell, Housing Critic, Ontario New Democratic Party
North York Community House
North York Harvest Food Bank
North York Women's Centre
Oakwood Vaughan Community Organization
Oakwood Vaughan Tenant Union
ODSP Action Coalition
Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC)
Ralph Thornton Community Centre
Right to Housing Toronto
Social Planning Toronto
Society For the Living Food Bank
South Asian Women's Centre
South Etobicoke Housing Advocacy
St. Bernard de Clairvaux Parish
St. Bernard de Clairvaux Parish
St. Mary & St. Martha Anglican Church
St. Philip's Anglican Church - Etobicoke
St. Philip's Anglican Church - Etobicoke
Street Health Community Nursing Foundation
SURJ TorontoSyme Woolner Neighbourhood & Family Centre
The Neighbourhood Group Community Services
Thistletown Food Bank
Toronto Drop-in Network
Toronto Neighbourhood Centres
Toronto Youth Cabinet
Unified We Grow
Unison Health and Community Services
Weston ACORN Chapter
Weston Area Emergency Support (WAES) Foodbank
Weston Presbyterian Church
Working Skills Centre
Working Women Community Centre
York Hispanic Centre
Youth Without Shelter
YWCA Toronto
Working Women Community Centre
York Hispanic Centre
Youth Without Shelter
YWCA Toronto
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Latest posts
More than 100 tenants at 1440 and 1442 Lawrence Avenue West will go on Rent Strike as of October 1st, joining what is shaping up to be the largest rent strike in Toronto's history. Their landlord, Barney River Investments, has refused to address serious repairs in the building while consistently increasing rents above rent control.
Tenants on rent strike at 33 King St and 22 John St protest outside of Quayside Development site, set to be sold to Dream Unlimited who has been increasing their rents as high as 17% on housing previously built on public land.