INCENTS BUILDERS TO SHIFT AWAY FROM RENTAL PROJECTS.

3. Developing a standard lease for Ontario tenants

The standard lease for all tenants is being pitched as protecting tenants and providing predictability for landlords.

A key provision is tightening provisions for own-use evictions, and ensuring that tenants are adequately compensated. In the condominium market, individual investors have long used the tactic of moving into their own units to evict tenants. The tenant leaves, the landlord temporarily moves in and then rents the unit again — this time at a higher price.

The province is, however, keeping vacancy decontrol, which allows landlords to set rents at whatever price they want when an apartment is empty. 4. The province will look at its own surplus land to see what can be used for development purposes

Brian Johnston, chief operating officer of Mattamy Homes Ltd., doesn’t think this will do much to address supply problems in the GTA.

“They can look at it but are they really going to do anything with those lands?” he asked. “Let’s see. I can go look at my backyard and see if I can build a highrise. It’s not easy to do.”

Between zoning, community agreement and developer interest, it can take years for government land to be developed, if it happens at all.