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The Ontario government’s proposed Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act (Bill 60) is not just a bill; it’s a ticking time bomb that will accelerate evictions and push more people with disabilities into homelessness, the ODSP ActionCoalition warns.
The group says 70 per cent of Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) recipients rely on private market rentals, leaving them highly vulnerable in an increasingly unaffordable housing market.
“Bill 60 is a direct attack on the most vulnerable Ontarians at the worst possible time,” Ron Anicich, co-chair of the ODSP ActionCoalition, said in a release. “While this bill is being sold as a way to build housing faster, it will actually make it far easier to evict people with disabilities from their homes and push thousands more of us onto the streets.”
Recent data obtained by The Trillium through freedom-of-information requests shows the number of ODSP recipients experiencing homelessness is rising, despite government messaging that tying ODSP increases to inflation has addressed affordability concerns.
The maximum ODSP income for a single person is now $1,408 per month. But once a recipient becomes homeless, they lose their $599 shelter allowance. This makes it nearly impossible to secure housing again.
“It’s a cruel, cruel part of the legislation,” said Coalition co-chair Trevor Manson. “Instead of giving you more help, the government takes away virtually half of your income… it makes it, of course, much more difficult to find a place to live.”
According to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, more than 81,500 Ontarians were experiencing homelessness in 2024. Advocates say Bill 60 would dramatically increase that number.
Schedule 12 of the bill proposes sweeping amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act, including:
- Shorter eviction timelines, cutting the current 14-day repayment window for rent arrears to seven days. This means tenants will have less time to pay overdue rent, potentially leading to more evictions.
- Reduced appeal periods, halving the time to appeal Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) decisions from 30 days to 15.
- New restrictions on raising issues at hearings. Tenants would need to provide advance notice of any issues they plan to raise, making it harder to address repairs, harassment, or maintenance problems. For instance, if a tenant discovers a serious maintenance issue just before a hearing, they may not be able to raise it if they didn’t provide advance notice.
- The potential end of indefinite leases, signalling support for lease expirations that allow landlords greater control over turnover.
The government says these changes will “reduce delays” at the LTB. But advocates argue they overwhelmingly benefit landlords and will make it easier to evict tenants in arrears, especially ODSP recipients who often need more time to access rent banks, legal clinics, or social supports.
“It puts the finger on the scale in favour of landlords,” Manson said. “This legislation wants to stipulate that you’re not allowed to raise new issues when you go to the tribunal… people don’t know what their rights are. It just cuts the time in half that tenants have.”
For ODSP recipients, the stakes are, at a minimum, severely life-changing.
Manson, who has lived on ODSP since 2016, said many people assume recipients live in subsidized housing. Only about 10 per cent do, and approximately 70 per cent rent at market rates.
“Those of us who have security of tenure… are terrified of being evicted into a housing market that they cannot afford,” he said.
Manson noted he can only remain housed because he moved into his bachelor apartment 13 years ago, when he was working and earning over $1,000 a week. Today, the same unit is listed for roughly 30 per cent more than what he pays.
“I wouldn’t be able to afford to move into this unit today,” he said.
Coalition surveys show ODSP recipients spend an average of 66 per cent of their income on rent, with some spending 100 per cent.
“One meal a day is about what most people can afford,” Manson said. “You take on a scarcity mindset where every day you’re just in survival mode.”
Manson pushed back against Premier Doug Ford’s recent comments telling people in encampments to “get off your A-S-S and start working.”
“If you’re living on $733 a month [Ontario Works], you’re not healthy,” he said. “And you’re damn lucky if you’ve got a house to sit in.”
He added that homelessness makes employment effectively impossible: “You go into a job interview and you look like you’ve been sleeping in the woods… you’re going to be quickly passed over by somebody who has a fixed address.”
The ODSP ActionCoalition is urging Premier Ford to remove all Residential Tenancies Act amendments from Bill 60 and invest meaningfully in accessible, affordable housing.
Their demands include removing all tenant-weakening provisions in Bill 60, increasing ODSP rates to reflect real housing costs, maintaining indefinite leases and rent control, and expanding affordable, accessible housing options
“People with disabilities deserve safe, stable, affordable housing,” Anicich said. “Instead, this government is making it easier to evict us and harder to survive.”
Manson said the government’s rush to pass Bill 60 without committee hearings or public input should concern all Ontarians.
“They know the majority of people are against it,” he said. “This is just going to turbocharge the homelessness crisis.”
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