City of Toronto consulting with Toronto residents on review of rooming houses

News Release:  April 2, 2015

The City of Toronto is presenting a series of consultation sessions on a Rooming House Review initiative addressing issues related to the conditions and regulation of rooming houses in Toronto. The review is led by the Municipal Licensing & Standards and City Planning divisions in partnership with other City divisions.

The consultation component of the review begins April 9. The goal of the consultation process is to uncover diverse perspectives on rooming houses and begin a constructive conversation about possible solutions for all stakeholders.

The Rooming House Review will identify:
• the issues affecting regulation and enforcement of standards in rooming houses
• opportunities to improve conditions in rooming houses, and
• ways to minimize the impact rooming houses have on surrounding communities.

The following stakeholder groups will be engaged in the process:
• tenants and landlords of rooming houses
• residents and resident groups in communities with rooming houses
• agencies that serve clients looking for affordable housing such as rooming houses, and
• post-secondary school administrators.

Members of the public are invited to engage in the consultation process by attending one of the neighbourhood consultations listed below:
• Thursday, April 9, Parkdale Library (Auditorium), 6 to 8 p.m.
• Monday, April 13, Lilian H. Smith Library (Auditorium), 6 to 8 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 14, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School (gym), 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• Monday, April 20, Stephen Leacock Community Centre (Main Hall), 6 to 8 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 21, Pan Am Sports Centre (Leadership Room), 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 22, North York Central Library (Room 1), 6 to 8 p.m.
• Thursday, April 23, Atkinson Building, York University (Harry Crowe Room), 6 to 8 p.m.
• Monday, April 27, L'Amoreaux Community Centre (Studio Room 1), 7 to 9 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 28, Elmbank Community Centre (Multi-Purpose Room), 7 to 9 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 29, location to be announced
• Thursday, April 30, Wellesley Community Centre (Room A), 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• Monday, May 4, Jimmie Simpson Community Centre (Multipurpose Room – Upper Level), 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 5, New Horizons Tower (Auditorium), 7 to 9 p.m.
• Thursday, May 7, Francis Libermann Catholic High School (cafeteria), 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Municipal Licensing & Standards and City Planning expect to report on findings from the consultations at the June meeting of the City's Executive Committee.

More information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/roominghousereview. A survey will be made available on that web page in the days ahead.

This news release is also available on the City's website: http://bit.ly/1IsrpPp

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

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Media contact: Bruce Hawkins, Strategic Communications, 416-392-3496, bhawkin@toronto.ca