Commonly known as rooming houses, Toronto’s multi-tenant homes are designed to provide relatively affordable accommodations to thousands of residents. Working to expand and improve the program, the City of Toronto has announced a series of public meetings to review proposed regulatory changes—including stricter licensing requirements—and a re-zoning pilot project.
Defined by the City as "a house, apartment or building where you share a kitchen and/or washroom with four or more people that pay individual rent," rooming houses are only currently permitted in three of the City’s pre-amalgamation municipalities; York, Toronto, and Etobicoke.
A Kensington market rooming house once home to UrbanToronto's Stefan Novakovic, image via Google Maps
Two sets of meetings will be held. Focusing on expanded zoning, the first five meetings will assess the City’s "three-year pilot project to introduce a temporary zoning bylaw to allow multi-tenant houses in five areas of the city." Endorsed by Council last Fall, the boundary areas are:
• Highway 401, Morrish Road, Military Trail (Wards 43, 44)
• Finch Avenue West, Martin Grove Road, Humber College Boulevard (Ward 1)
• Finch Avenue West, Assiniboine Road, Black Creek Drive, Keele Street (Ward 8)
• Finch Avenue East, Leslie Street, Highway 404, Fairview Mall Drive (Ward 33)
• Steeles Avenue, Highway 404, Highway 401, Markham Road (Wards 39, 40, 41)
Held between June 6th and June 21st, the five meetings focusing on the new zoning framework will give Torontonians a chance to provide input on the scope of the proposed bylaw. Issues such as the “maximum number of rooms allowed in a multi-tenant home” and the requirements that need to be provided by operators—“such as site plan, waste management plan and parking plan”—will be discussed. As it stands, the City’s "temporary uses by-law proposes to permit a maximum of seven dwelling rooms in any one multi-tenant house."
A meeting will be held in each of the pilot areas, taking place between 6:30 and 8:30 PM at these locations:
• Tuesday, June 6, University of Toronto Scarborough Campus, Room HW305, 1265 Military Trail
• Wednesday, June 7, James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic High School, Cafeteria, 1440 Finch Ave. W.
• Monday, June 12, Oriole Community Centre, Multipurpose Room B, 2975 Don Mills Rd.
• Tuesday, June 13, Stephen Leacock Community Recreation Centre, 2520 Birchmount Rd.
• Thursday, June 15, Elmbank Community Centre, Gym, 10 Rampart Rd.
• Wednesday, June 21, L'Amoreaux Community Recreation Centre, Main Floor, 2000 McNicoll Ave.
Meanwhile, another four meetings will be held in areas of the City where rooming houses are already permitted. Focusing on the City’s efforts to “regulate multi-tenant houses and improve safety and property conditions for tenants and neighbours,” these meetings will present opportunities for a more fine-grained discussion of how rooming houses should operate. Dates and locations:
• Wednesday, June 14, Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre, Multipurpose Room, 870 Queen St. E., 6:30 to 8:30 PM
• Tuesday, June 20, Lillian H. Smith Library, Auditorium, 239 College St., 6 to 8 PM
• Thursday, June 22, Toronto Public Library, Parkdale Branch,1303 Queen St. W., 6 to 8 PM
• Tuesday, June 27, Wellesley Community Centre, Room A, 495 Sherbourne St., 6:30 to 8:30 PM
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An online survey is also available, linked here. More information can be found on the City of Toronto’s website. A full copy of the City’s release regarding the public meetings can also be found here.