Tenants fight proposed demolition of Toronto apartment building to make way for condo tower
A group of tenants are fighting the proposed demolition of their apartment building in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood to make way for a new condo tower.
“I’m a student and this is all I can afford because rent has skyrocketed,” said Shantelle Przybylo, who has lived at the building for four years and pays about $1,300 dollars a month for rent.
The 12-storey, 130-unit apartment building at 145 St. George Street was built in 1959.
Developer, Tenblock has submitted a rezoning application to the city to build a 29-storey condo in its place.
Tenants are raising concerns about being forced into the expensive rental market if the proposal is accepted.
"I've been out of work for two years. I just got a part time job in a store now. I barely have money for rent ,” said Patricia, who has lived at the building for 13 years.
"For a building that has a large proportion of the tenants that are seniors on fixed income, if this proposal goes through, they might be left homeless or switch to subsidize housing," said Tenants Association spokesperson Kary Rizk. "One of our main concern is what's going to happen to the senior population that lives in the building."
The proposal includes 130 rental units which replace the existing units. The developer states they will be offered to existing tenants.
City staff are currently reviewing the application, but councillor Mike Layton says it presents two challenges.
“It's not an area that prescribed necessarily for intensification,” said Layton, who adds that if approved, the development could set a precedent for the rest of the neighbourhood.
"It could set a precedent that moves through an apartment neighbourghood up zoning all of them, displacing all those residents, which could in fact result in a lot more people looking for affordable rental housing in a neighbourghood it doesn't necessarily have.”
The concerns are echoes by the Annex Residents’ Association, which opposes the application.
In its submission to the city, the association states the existing rental building “is a sound structure providing affordable to mid-range housing” and that approving the development “ would establish a dangerous precedent in apartment neighbourghoods across the city."
"We're in a 12-storey occupied building, how is that considered the same as parking lot for development right now," said Gimmi,
At this point, residents have not been notified about when they will have to move out. That is pending approval from city council.
"Our area is known as an area where people can't find affordable housing and that's a real concern," said Rizk.
Layton. He notes that despite what decision council makes, the final decision could rest with Ontario’s Land Tribunal.
"Where we do have more control is establishing a fair package so that hardship is reduced for the tenant if the city supports it," said Layton. "We have a rental replacement policy that also involves compensation for tenants for the hardships for the purpose of relocating for redevelopment as well as provisions or those tenants to comeback into the building for prescribed rates that are close to what they were paying."
Rizk argues the proposal could leave some seniors in a dire position,
"Some of the seniors that have be living in the building for 20 to 30 years, a lot of them have disabilities its just not going to assist them in terms of the compensation the city is offering."
There is no timeline for when a decision is expected and construction could begin.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Genetic evidence backs up COVID-19 origin theory that pandemic started in seafood market
A group of researchers say they have more evidence to suggest the COVID-19 pandemic started in a Chinese seafood market where it spread from infected animals to humans. The evidence is laid out in a recent study published in Cell, a scientific journal, nearly five years after the first known COVID-19 outbreak.
This is how much money you need to make to buy a house in Canada's largest cities
The average salary needed to buy a home keeps inching down in cities across Canada, according to the latest data.
'My two daughters were sleeping': London Ont. family in shock after their home riddled with gunfire
A London father and son they’re shocked and confused after their home was riddled with bullets while young children were sleeping inside.
Smuggler arrested with 300 tarantulas strapped to his body
Police in Peru have arrested a man caught trying to leave the country with 320 tarantulas, 110 centipedes and nine bullet ants strapped to his body.
Boissonnault out of cabinet to 'focus on clearing the allegations,' Trudeau announces
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced embattled minister Randy Boissonnault is out of cabinet.
Baby dies after being reported missing in midtown Toronto: police
A four-month-old baby is dead after what Toronto police are calling a “suspicious incident” at a Toronto Community Housing building in the city’s midtown area on Wednesday afternoon.
Sask. woman who refused to provide breath sample did not break the law, court finds
A Saskatchewan woman who refused to provide a breath sample after being stopped by police in Regina did not break the law – as the officer's request was deemed not lawful given the circumstances.
Parole board reverses decision and will allow families of Paul Bernardo's victims to attend upcoming parole hearing in person
The families of the victims of Paul Bernardo will be allowed to attend the serial killer’s upcoming parole hearing in person, the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) says.
'They squandered 10 years of opportunity': Canada Post strike exposes longtime problems, expert says
Canada Post is at ‘death's door’ and won't survive if it doesn't dramatically transform its business, a professor who has studied the Crown corporation is warning as the postal workers' national strike drags on.