Landlord and Tenant Board's 'digital first' system harms vulnerable renters: advocate
An Ontario tenant advocacy group says it has filed a human rights complaint arguing the provincial Landlord and Tenant Board's switch to a “digital first” strategy centred on virtual hearings during the pandemic discriminates against vulnerable renters.
The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario said the complaint was filed with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal on behalf of a 77-year-old woman in North Bay, Ont., who alleges the board dismissed her application after she experienced issues with the new, digital system.
Lorraine Peever lives alone in subsidized housing, does not have a computer or cellphone, and has primarily attempted to participate in her hearings with the board through a landline, the organization said. The group added the board did not respond to Peever's request for an in-person hearing.
The advocacy group said it is also planning to file several more applications on behalf of other tenants whose rights it alleges were violated because of the change.
Tribunals Ontario, which includes the Landlord and Tenant Board, embraced a range of digital tools such as virtual hearings and online document filing in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tribunals then moved to a new digital case-management system late last year in an effort to combat delays and case backlogs exacerbated by the pandemic.
A spokesperson for Tribunals Ontario confirmed the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario received an application from the advocacy group, but declined to comment further, citing the adjudicative process.
In her application to the tribunal, Peever said her building has ongoing issues with bedbugs and she started seeking compensation in 2019 for the loss of her belongings due to infestations.
Peever spent “considerable time and energy” over the years trying to get her case heard by the board after it was dismissed several times, in part due to issues accessing the online system, the document alleges.
“It simply should not be this much of a trial for an elderly person to access justice,” the application reads.
Before the pandemic, the board's hearings typically took place in person, or sometimes by phone for lower-priority applicants in cases not involving evictions and in remote parts of northern Ontario, said Ryan Hardy, ACTO's staff lawyer.
The board also had regional offices across the province where applicants could go to ask questions and talk to lawyers, Hardy said.
The “digital first” approach assumes applicants have a computer with a webcam, and if they don't, they're expected to phone in, he said. “Then they're only partially participating because they can't see anything that the other participants can see on video,” he said.
“Then it also assumes that you can do these things, you have the technological know-how to do it, that you're not impeded by disabilities in any way,” Hardy said.
There are other issues with the current system, including that it is harder for an applicant to give their version of events in cross-examination and to submit and view supporting documents, he argued.
The organization is seeking a number of systemic reforms to improve accessibility, including making in-person hearings an option equal to remote hearings and reopening physical locations to allow for in-person filing of documents.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
4th Indian national arrested, charged with murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Homicide investigators in B.C. say murder charges have been laid against a fourth Indian national in connection to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara last year.
'I am angry': Alberta farmers will continue fight over world class motorsport resort
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
Man ticketed after allegedly trespassing again at Drake's Bridle Path mansion to get his bike
A man who tried to access Drake’s Bridle Path mansion earlier this week returned to the property Saturday and was apprehended again for allegedly trespassing, Toronto police say.
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Biden calls Trump 'unhinged,' says 'something snapped' in former president after he lost 2020 U.S. election
U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday called Donald Trump “clearly unhinged” and claimed that “something snapped” in the former president after he lost the 2020 election.
Wildfire that forced evacuation of Fort Nelson, B.C., caused by tree falling on wires, mayor says
The wildfire that prompted the evacuation of more than 3,000 people near Fort Nelson, B.C., was caused by a tree falling on wires, according to the municipality's mayor.
Switzerland's Nemo wins 68th Eurovision Song Contest
Swiss singer Nemo won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night with 'The Code,' an operatic ode to the singer’s journey toward embracing their nongender identity.
IN PICTURES Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Grand Bend, Collingwood and Guelph, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.