EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared on The Trillium, a new Village Media website devoted exclusively to covering provincial politics at Queen’s Park.
Some landlords are lobbying the province to extend the power of the Landlord and Tenant Board so it can adjudicate "straightforward" cases like non-payment of rent or landlords needing their property for personal use, without actually hearing them.
Small Ownership Landlords Ontario have registered to lobby, seeking changes to the Residential Tenancies Act. As well as evicting tenants without hearings, they'd like the legislation to distinguish between "small housing providers" with "few units" from corporate landlords. They're also seeking to make entering into a rental agreement using false pretenses to be an offence under the law.
Their efforts come as delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board have made headlines.
The province's ombudsman released a report, "Administrative Justice Delayed, Fairness Denied," in May that details a bureaucratic nightmare where hearings that used to be scheduled within days are now heard months later, causing some landlords to be plunged into debt. He detailed the case of one who'd had to move into his car and another into a homeless shelter, because the process of kicking out tenants for non-payment of rent had dragged on and on.
And on the other side, he found some tenants have been living in mouldy apartments without heat, or facing harassment from their landlords.
The group is planning to hold a protest at Queen's Park on Monday. It also caused a stir last week when a board member's tweet appeared to blame the murder of two tenants in Hamilton by their landlord on delays at the tribunal. PressProgress, which reported the story, noted the group has had meetings with ministers including Attorney General Doug Downey, Housing Minister Steve Clark and Doug Ford, but hadn't previously registered to lobby.
Meanwhile, the City of Markham is lobbying the province for a potential community hub on surplus lands in the community, according to a new registration with the province's lobbyist registry.
The city has signed up with Atlas Strategic Advisors, a firm run by Amin Massoudi, the premier's former principal secretary.
According to the registration, the lobbyists are working with both the ministries of Infrastructure and Indigenous Affairs on the project.
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Consultants
Lee Boswell of Crestview Strategy for Waste to Resource Ontario
Steve Coupland of SGC Research for Hydro One Networks Inc
Derrick Araneda of Stosic & Associates for RebalanceMD
Joyce Mankarios of Sussex Strategy Group for Wal-Mart Canada Corp.
Emily-Jean Gallant of Wellington Dupont Public Affairs for Ontario Personal Support Workers Association (OPSWA)
Philippe Bolduc of Wellington Advocacy for Wayfair LLC
Sara Szot of StrategyCorp Inc. for GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC
Amir Remtulla of Amir Remtulla Inc. for Allyus Health Inc
Michaela Johnson of Jenni Byrne and Associates for Columbia International College
Stephen Warner of Jenni Byrne + Associates for Columbia International College
Tim Smitheman of Rubicon Strategy for Hydro One Networks Inc.
William Wuehr of Crestview Strategy for Waste to Resource Ontario
Nicholas Pozhke of Crestview Strategy for Intact Financial Corporation
Meera Mahadeo of Counsel Public Affairs Inc. for Ontario Seasonal RV Resorts Coalition
Sara-Emilie Clark of Impact Public Affairs for Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science
Amir Remtulla of Amir Remtulla Inc. for Markham Steeles Realty INC.
Davin Shinedling of Jenni Byrne + Associates for Columbia International College
Cody Mallette of Atlas Strategic Advisors Inc. for TeleVU Innovation Ltd
Laura Kurkimaki of Earnscliffe Strategies for Canadian Standards Association
Jayme Wilson of Impact Public Affairs for First Nations Technical Institute
Stefani Vukmanovic of Rubicon Strategy Inc for Petal Solutions Inc.
Justine Yeong of Wellington Dupont Public Affairs for Ontario Personal Support Workers Association (OPSWA)
Kelly Mitchell of KW Mitchell Consulting Services Inc. for Hornepayne Power Inc.
Monika Bujalska of Sutherland Corporation Ltd. for Parsons Inc.
Summer Senter of Wellington Dupont for Town of Saugeen Shores
Emily-Jean Gallant of Wellington Dupont Public Affairs for Town of Saugeen Shores
David McArthur of McMillan Vantage Policy Group for NextEra Canada Development, LP
Stephanie DiNucci of Atlas Strategic Advisors Inc. for The Corporation of the City of Markham
Nicko Vavassis of Earnscliffe Strategies for CSA Group (Canadian Standards Association)
Christopher Chapin of Upstream Strategy Group for Covanta Energy, LLC
Kenzie McKeegan of Loyalist Public Affairs for Golf Association of Ontario
Jared Burke of Loyalist Public Affairs for Golf Association of Ontario
Christopher Froggatt of Loyalist Public Affairs for Golf Association of Ontario
Jill Wilson of GW Group (formerly JW Public Affairs Inc.) for Serco Canada
Fraser Macdonald of StrategyCorp Inc. for Township of South Stormont
Jonathan Lesarge of Jenni Byrne + Associates for CGI
Jonathan Lesarge of Jenni Byrne + Associates for Loblaw Companies Limited
Davin Shinedling of Jenni Byrne + Associates for CGI
Michael Ras of Counsel Public Affairs Inc. for Brampton Brick Ltd.
Karen Moores of town advocacy (mission media inc) for Canadian Association for Retired Persons (CARP)
Jan Goerge of Daisy Consulting Group for Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation
Devan Sommerville of Counsel Public Affairs Inc. for Brampton Brick Ltd.
Jessica Trepanier of StrategyCorp Inc. for GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC
Laura Orsini of McMillan Vantage for Vector Institute
Olivia Raycraft of PAA Advisory | Conseils for Impala Canada
Alexander Glista of StrategyCorp Inc. for Township of South Stormont
Kyle Sholes of StrategyCorp Inc. for Township of South Stormont
John Matheson of StrategyCorp Inc. for Township of South Stormont
Kyle Sholes of StrategyCorp Inc. for Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario (MARCO)
Alex Armanious of StrategyCorp Inc. for Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario (MARCO)
Chad Rogers of Crestview Strategy for Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan
Clare Michaels of Navigator Ltd. for Northern Graphite Corporation
Kirsten Krose of SWON Public Affairs for Make the HPV Vaccine Free for Me
Kirsten Krose of SWON Public Affairs for Defeat Duchenne Canada
Kirsten Krose of SWON Public Affairs for Ontario Society of Cardiology Technologists (O.S.C.T)
Kirsten Krose of SWON Public Affairs for KGK Science
Christopher Chapin of Upstream Strategy Group for Embr Events inc.
Shawn Cruz of Counsel Public Affairs for CNIB Foundation
Colin McSweeney of Colin McSweeney for Claridge Homes
Caroline Pinto of Counsel Public Affairs Inc. for CNIB Foundation
Devan Sommerville of Counsel Public Affairs Inc. for CNIB Foundation
Karl Baldauf of McMillan Vantage for Vector Institute
Alexander Glista of StrategyCorp Inc. for Choice Properties Limited Partnership
Gayle Nathanson of Campbell Strategies Inc. for Power Workers' Union
Gayle Nathanson of Campbell Strategies Inc. for NAIOP Greater Toronto Chapter
Maryanne Sheehy of PAA Advisory | Conseils for TikTok Canada
Gayle Nathanson of Campbell Strategies Inc. for Estee Lauder Companies Inc.
Philip Dewan of Counsel Public Affairs Inc. for CAPREIT LP
Aleem Kanji of AleemKanji.com for Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB)
Stephanie Gawur of Santis Health for Novari Health
Karl Baldauf of McMillan Vantage for AbbVie Corporation
Jonathan Rose of Policy Concepts for ComputerTalk Technology Inc
Karl Baldauf of McMillan Vantage for Arterra Wines Canada
Christopher Froggatt of Loyalist Public Affairs for Wine Growers Ontario
Yaron Gersh of The CCS Group (formerly Connect Consulting Solutions) for Hatzoloh
Amir Remtulla of Amir Remtulla Inc. for Workbench Corp
Amir Remtulla of Amir Remtulla Inc. for 2686796 Ontario Ltd (Tien De Religion Canada)
Chad Rogers of Crestview Strategy for Live Nation Canada, Inc.
Chad Rogers of Crestview Strategy for Greenbelt Foundation
Chad Rogers of Crestview Strategy for CAAT Pension Plan
Chad Rogers of Crestview Strategy for Telesat Canada
Christopher Froggatt of Loyalist Public Affairs for The Stars Group/TSG Interactive Services
Chad Rogers of Crestview Strategy for Intact Financial Corporation
Yaron Gersh of The CCS Group (formerly Connect Consulting Solutions) for Brent Gilbertson Enterprise Ltd.
Chad Rogers of Crestview Strategy for Ontario Long Term Care Association
Aidan Grove-White of StrategyCorp Inc. for Choice Properties Limited Partnership
Christine Simundson of Rubicon Strategy Inc. for Teranet
Christine Simundson of Rubicon Strategy Inc. for Cubic Transportation Systems Canada Limited
Yara Salama of Policy Concepts Inc. for Building and Concrete Restoration Association of Ontario
Yara Salama of Policy Concepts Inc. for Scaffold Industry Association of Canada
Andrew Boddington of Policy Concepts Inc. for Scaffold Industry Association of Canada
Ross Wallace of Santis Health Inc. for Canadian Biosimilars Forum
Philip Dewan of Counsel Public Affairs Inc. for Parkbridge Lifestyle Communities Inc.
John Perenack of StrategyCorp Inc. for 7-Eleven, Inc.
Leonard Domino of Leonard Domino & Associates Inc. for Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Sciences
Stew Kiff of Solstice Public Affairs for Ontario Electrical League
In-house lobbyists
Boubacar Bah of Small Ownership Landlords Ontario Inc.
Malika Dhanani of Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance
Aaron Binder of Better Way Alliance
Kristi Doyle of Ontario Association of Architects
Rhonda Lenton of York University
Silvie Crawford of College of Nurses of Ontario
Brian O'Riordan of College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists
Derek Dobson of CAAT Pension Plan
Steve Orsini of Council of Ontario Universities
Gordon Harling of Canadian Microelectronics Corporation
Laura Paglia of Investment Industry Association of Canada
Pamela Fralick of Innovative Medicines Canada (Médicaments novateurs Canada)
John DiMichele of Toronto Regional Real Estate Board
Dennis Darby of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
Marg Harrington of Ontario Dental Hygienists' Association (ODHA)
Todd Bourgon of Motor Vehicle Retailers of Ontario
Rick Rondeau of Fourteen Estates
Sasha Krstic of Mastercard Canada
Shawn Good of Libro Credit Union
Vince Lamanna of Novo Nordisk Canada Inc.
John Pigott of Club Coffee LP
Chris Barry of Microsoft Canada Inc.
Brian Bentz of Alectra Inc.
