Toronto Renters Forum

Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC)

TCHC is a corporation owned by the City of Toronto to administer social housing on behalf of the city. It is the largest social housing provider in Canada, with a portfolio of approximately 2100 buildings.


Tenant Support

For questions or help visit the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) section of our forum.


General Information

The TCHC was created in 2002 by the Ontario Provincial Conservatives under premier Mike Harris, who downloaded social-housing previously managed by the province, to the City of Toronto. The subsequent cessation of funding from the province resulted in the accumulation of a large maintenance and repair backlog – three years after it’s creation the TCHC stated that it already had a backlog of repairs nearing $1 billion dollars, and tenants have reported unresolved problems with pests and heating, and by 2016, after years of underfunding, the repair backlog has grown to $2.6 billion dollars.

Address:
931 Yonge Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4W 2H2
Contact:
416-981-5500
help@torontohousing.ca


News

In 2006, TCHC appeared on Now Magazine’s list of "Toronto’s Worst Landlords".


In 2009, a 82 year old renter living in an TCHC apartment was evicted when he accidentally failed to sort-out some paperwork. He lived for some time in the stairwell of his old building, before becoming gravely ill and dying. The Toronto Star concluded that “This whole, sad chain of events might have been avoided had someone simply helped Gosling with his paperwork or had paused to consider what might happen to an increasingly frail and disoriented senior after being pushed on to the street.”


A 2011 audit uncovered inappropriate expenses made by TCHC employees including “$1,850 for a boat cruise for the purposes of staff development; $1,925 for manicures and pedicures; $6,000 for a planning session in Muskoka; $40,000 for a staff Christmas party in 2009; $53,500 for a similar bash in 2008; $800 for four massage practitioners at a staff picnic.” And $1000 in expensive chocolates.

The auditor also found that between $4 million and $10 million dollars had been wasted due to non-competitive procurements.

This was at a time when tenants languished unable to get basic maintenance issues fixed.


In 2013 the Toronto Star reported that “TCHC began to vigorously enforce payment of rent arrears, many tenants were faced with insurmountable bills that had accumulated, sometimes over years”, and quoted City of Toronto Councillor Josh Matlow as saying that the eviction of seniors by the TCHC was “Shameful”.

In a subsequent 2013 article the Toronto Star article quoted the previous CEO of TCHC, Keiko Nakamura, as saying that “Good eviction prevention programs cannot be implemented at the expense of rent collection”, at a time when “TCHC was busy kicking elderly tenants to the curb.”


In 2013, despite having a backlog of repairs of approximately $800 million dollars, the then CEO of TCHC, Eugene Jones, wanted to spend $2 million dollars to renovate the TCHC head office.

Ultimately, $775,000 dollars worth or repairs were done without the knowledge of some board members, who called the expensive renovations “Unacceptable”.


In 2014, two TCHC executives were fired for filing $1 million dollars of fraudulent expenses.


In 2017 the TCHC was fined $100,000 for failing to implement a fire safety plan, following a fire in a TCHC building that killed 4 people and injured 15 more.


In 2019 the CEO of TCHC, Kathy Milsom, was fired when an independent review found “irregularities” with respect to awarding a contract, and for “failing to fully cooperate with the investigation”.


Evictions Ontario provides some recent information regarding TCHC Evicting Renters during the COVID pandemic.

Akelius Canada Ltd is a large heavily-financed multinational corporation that owns apartments in several cities around the world.  Almost since it’s inception it has courted international criticism – see the News items below.


Tenant Support

The Akelius Tenants Network is an association of tenants living in Toronto-area buildings owned by Akelius. This active tenant group has been an outspoken advocate for renters, and a strong critic of Akelius.

Also, for questions or help visit the Akelius section of our forum.


General Information

The Akelius Page at Landlords of Toronto:  https://www.landlordsoftoronto.com/akelius

Website:  http://www.akelius.ca

2019 Annual Worldwide Profit:  $721 million (Canadian Dollars)
from https://mb.cision.com/Main/3302/3051707/1205125.pdf

Address:
289 Niagara Street
Toronto, ON M6J 0C3

Contact:
844 253 5487
toronto.servicecentre@akelius.ca


News

2020 – October 16

Roger Akelius, the reclusive founder of Akelius, has released a statement refuting the claims made by the UN that his company is breeching the human rights of its tenants, claiming “Akelius is an honourable, honest company”.

He also attempts to refute recent statements in the media connecting the UN Report to the resignation of Akelius’s former CEO – “Pål Ahlsén’s resignation in May, after the UN’s report was released in April, was a coincidence”;  and justifying Akelius’s approach to renovations – “Akelius has never threatened or forced any tenant to leave a house”.

https://www.propertywire.com/news/akelius-residential-founder-hits-back-at-criticism/


2020 – October 9

An article has appeared in the media connecting the recent UN Report that was so critical of Akelius, to the recent resignation of their CEO and the announced change in Akelius’s approach to renovations:

https://www.propertywire.com/news/akelius-residential-halts-renovation-strategy-after-un-scandal


2020 – August 27

Akelius as announced a change in their business model with respect to renovations.


2020 – May 18

Pål Ahlsén, the CEO of Akelius, has resigned!


2020 – May 11

Akelius has been accused of Human Rights Abuses by the United Nations, the full report is now available.

The release of the UN Report was covered by the CBC.

And a City of Toronto Councillor Josh Matlow has backs-up the report, saying “there is no landlord that I’ve heard more complaints about than Akelius”:


2020 – April 29

The United Nations has announced that they will release a report claiming that Akelius is Abusing the Human Rights of their tenants.


2014 – August 12

Berlin seniors battle Swedish property giant