Opinion Martin Regg Cohn: Doug Ford has made lives miserable for landlords and tenants. Here’s how he needs to fix that
Landlords know it. Tenants know it.Belatedly, Ontario’s ombudsman has documented it. Paul Dubé’s latest report condemns the LTB as a “moribund” tribunal that fails the fairness test for those who need it fastest ― overstressed tenants and overstretched landlords, as I wrote inThe 16-month waiting times for a judgment are an injustice. The lack of experience and expertise on this tribunal is a travesty.
His rookie attorney general at the time, Caroline Mulroney, presided over a purge of tribunal experience and expertise, which targeted anyone appointed by the last Liberal government no matter how apolitical. Contracts went unrenewed and vacancies went unfilled, as Mulroney set the table for the Tories to impose their own patronage regime that rewarded political loyalty instead of fidelity to the law.
“Excruciatingly long delays have had immense negative impacts on thousands of landlords and tenants who depend on the board,”With Mulroney shuffled out, Doug Downey took over as attorney general with a mandate to clean up the mess. Then came COVID, creating a crisis in landlord-tenant relations that strained the system to the breaking point.
The hearings can be “chaotic” and the connectivity unreliable, as the ombudsman confirms. The inescapable conclusion is that the LTB has turned itself into a glorified call centre without reasonable grounds. Understandably, landlord and tenant backlogs get most of the attention. But the rot extends to the Human Rights Tribunal and the Social Benefits Tribunal, where the most disadvantaged and disabled welfare recipients must plead their cases.
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