2 More Housing Tribunals Disrupted

On Wednesday March 8, two more Housing Tribunals were disrupted as part of the Raise the Rates Campaign. In Toronto, members of OCAP and special diet recipients disrupted the Toronto South tribunal at 79 St. Clair East before being moved out by police. This follows an action in February where OCAP shut down the North Toronto tribunal for a full day. In Guelph Ontario, a similar action was carried out (click 'read more' to read a report about that action).

Report from the Guelph Union of Tenants and Supporters:

30 people in Guelph marked International Women’s Day by shutting down the eviction machine known as the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal. This action was taken in support of the ongoing campaigns to raise social assistance rates, to change so-called Tenant Protection Act so that it respects the rights of tenants, and have the provincial government address the issue of women’s poverty as part of its supposed commitment to ending violence against women.

The Housing Tribunal serves as the Ontario government’s eviction machine, tossing out 64,864 tenants in 2005, an increase of 8.7% over the previous year. This number will continue to increase now that many welfare recipients have had their incomes drastically cut.

Members of the Guelph Union of Tenants & Supporters, Belleville’s Tenant Action Group and the Kitchener-Waterloo Youth Collective were are all present at the Holiday Inn (where the Guelph Housing Tribunal is located). The action resulted in the Tribunal shutting down for about an hour and a half. 5 people were arrested after hotel management called police. Not surprisingly, 6 police cars and upwards of 12 officers were quickly on site, ready to defend the rights of the rich and keep the eviction machine rolling. Police drew a taser gun on a non-resistant man during his arrest. Two police officers also made extremely inappropriate and sexually intimidating comments towards two different female protesters, to which the protesting crowd responded with anger.

As part of International Women’s Day activities across Ontario, activists are demanding that Premier Dalton McGuinty and Minister of Community and Social Services Sandra Pupatello end women’s poverty. The pitifully low social assistance rates keep women from leaving abusive relationships, further exposing women and their children to ongoing violence and danger.

According the 2003 report "Choose to Change This", 90% of homeless shelters reported that women were making decisions to either return to or remain with abusers because they could not pay for both housing and food for their children. Many medical studies provide evidence, for example, that low-income, single mothers routinely compromise their own nutritional intake so that their children do not become nutritionally deficient. One study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in 2003, found that low-income mothers did not consume enough daily calories and they lacked a number of essential nutrients including folate, vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin A, iron, calcium and zinc.

Welfare rates were cut by 21.6% in 1995. In conjunction with inflation, recipients’ spending power has decreased by 40%. Thousands of recipients were receiving some relief through the Special Diet Allowance but Minister Sandra Pupatello and the Liberal government reacted by cutting and restructuring the Allowance in recent months. The Special Diet Allowance enabled recipients to access up to an extra $250/month for a medical reason with a note signed by a medical professional. The restructuring eliminated such items as breastfeeding supplements and malnutrition, and reduced certain allowances, for example, a person with liver disease now receives a measly $10.

GUTS in cooperation with anti-poverty groups across will continue to fight the McGuinty government until the rates are raised and legislation is changed to reflect the right of all Ontarians to safe and affordable housing and a livable income.

Guelph Union of Tenants and Supporters
guelphunionoftenants@yahooo.ca
guelphtenants.com