Today NDP Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath held a roundtable by video conference for Ontarians struggling to pay rent amid the COVID-19 crisis. Horwath heard from Gillian Alexander in Hamilton and Sarah Twomey in Toronto.
Alexander, a musician and freelancer, has lost performances and her teaching schedule because of COVID-19. She might be able to scrape by on rent this month by using some savings, but she’s worried about being able to keep putting groceries on the table next month.
Twomey, a public relations professional who is currently out of work after a contract job ended last month, is concerned that she may have to dip into her retirement savings to make ends meet.
To help Ontarians like Twomey and Alexander, Horwath and the NDP continue to call for:
- A legal ban on evictions, lockouts and disconnections for the next four months
- A rent subsidy of 80 per cent, of up to $2,500 per home per month, for the next four months
- A six-month freeze on rent increases
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