The Quinte Region Landlords Association (QRLA) has helped to form a province-wide alliance to sound the alarm about proposed regulations that threatens both rental housing providers and tenants.
Ontario’s Bill 10, the Protect Ontario Through Safer Streets and Stronger Communities Act, 2025, has rattled rental housing providers by proposing to hold them liable for the illegal drug activities on their properties, and puts the onus on them to prove they didn’t know about it. It carries penalties of up to $250,000, property seizure, and possible jail time. The Bill 10 section causing alarm is “The Measures Respecting Premises with Illegal Drug Activities Act, 2025”, which is part of Schedule 8. It passed in 2025 but has not yet come into force.
QRLA President Robert Gentile said privacy laws prevent landlords from monitoring what goes on in people’s private residences, and they don’t have power to police or enforce drug laws. “These are completely unrealistic duties to thrust upon housing providers, it puts all of us at legal risk, and will only drive-up evictions of high-risk tenants.” he said.
Gentile said the QRLA jumped into action on this issue last year and has been quietly rallying stakeholders across Ontario to respond, calling Bill 10 a serious threat to landlord and tenants. “This is a rare event – private and not-for-profit housing providers as well as tenant groups all coming together in agreement. The government cannot ignore this unified message from the rental housing sector.” said Gentile.
Members of the informal alliance include other landlord associations, non-profit housing providers, numerous non-profit organizations focused on homelessness, mental health, drug addiction, poverty elimination and a tenant rights organization. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce is also looking at the issue. Belleville Chamber CEO Jill Raycroft commends the QRLA for leading this initiative stating “at a time when housing providers are critical to supporting labour market needs and increased affordability through inventory, government should be seeking ways to incentivize landlords, not increase their liability and risk.”
Numerous non-profit groups have made public submissions and spoke out to the media warning the regulations could force the eviction of vulnerable, addicted tenants and severely restrict housing options. Additionally, commercial landlords may refuse to rent to non-profits who work with clients suffering from mental health issues and drug addiction.
The Ontario Alliance to End Homelessness, was quoted by the CBC as saying they’ve already observed “chilling effect in the sector around providing housing for people who use drugs” because of Bill 10. The Canadian Mental Health association’s website warns Bill 10 “…has the potential to deter them [landlords] from housing people who they perceive to use drugs. It could also see landlords pull away from supportive housing programs.” The Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association’s open letter to the government warned Bill 10 could impose “..potential fines on board members and staff..” leading to challenges “..recruiting and retaining board members and volunteers..”
At least one tenant organization has also sounded the alarm. The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario’s (ACTO) website warns Bill 10 may cause landlords “to evict any tenant rather than incur any liability.” Additionally, they warn that by giving police new powers to remove tenants “based on suspicion rather than confirmed evidence, vulnerable renters may experience abrupt homelessness..”
QRLA is calling on all rental housing stakeholders to speak out on Bill 10. The QRLA has created a special Bill 10 information webpage along with an advocacy toolkit and link to the government’s online feedback form, which has a March 8 deadline. Gentile said “we’ve asked the government to extend this deadline but if they don’t, we urge everyone to continue to contact their MPPs, the Attorney General and Premier Ford.”
The Quinte Region Landlord Association represents approximately 300 housing providers supplying over 2000 rental housing units in the Quinte region. Stakeholders can obtain more details on Bill 10 and learn how they can submit feedback to the government on this website: www.qrla.ca/bill10
