A Simcoe County politician is urging the province to reform the ‘dysfunctional’ Landlord Tenant Board [LTB] or risk exacerbating Ontario’s housing crisis.
“Private [property] investors are waiting for six to eight months just to get in front of the board about unpaid rent,” says Tanya Snell, Deputy Mayor of Wasaga Beach. “The system isn’t just dysfunctional — it’s putting Ontario families at risk of financial ruin.”
Snell, who served on Simcoe County’s housing committee, believes the sluggishness of the LTB is already driving would-be landlords out of the province. “Private [property] investors are forced to either continue taking a risk in Ontario or sell and reinvest in another province where they’re more protected. In 2021, Ontario’s rental stocks just lost 23,000 low-rent units.”
In recent years, the LTB, which adjudicates disputes between landlords and tenants in Ontario, has faced criticism for failing to rule on cases in a timely manner. In 2023, Ombudsman Paul Dubé investigated more than 4,000 complaints about the agency and concluded it had numerous deficiencies. Among them, he found it lacked qualified adjudicators and relied on outdated technologies.
“As an administrative tribunal, the Board is fundamentally failing in its role of providing swift justice to those seeking resolution of residential landlord and tenant issues. In doing so, it is denying justice to a significant segment of Ontarians,” Dubé wrote. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has also made it clear he is eager to reform the agency. During a Sept. 11 press conference, he said that the situation left Ontario’s landlords victimized by professional tenants — ones who remain in apartments without paying rent until the LTB process is completed.
According to figures published by the agency, more than 60% of complaints it receives are related to tenants not paying rent. “I think the pendulum has swung the other way — especially for small landlords,” Ford told reporters.
“These poor folks — they save up everything they have, they buy one extra condo or, maybe, a house and someone goes in there and they don’t pay rent.”
