Toronto Renters Forum

Ontario’s rental market watchdog doesn’t often fine landlords for evicting tenants illegally — and when it does, most fines are under $2,000, according to new data.

That has the opposition NDP crying foul, saying most fines are less than the cost of a month’s rent in Toronto’s red-hot rental market and warning lower consequences could put more tenants at risk of illegal eviction.

“The data is shocking,” said NDP housing critic Jessica Bell. “This is telling us loud and clear that the rules are not helping tenants, and they are not being enforced.”

Bell said of the 51 fines issued in the last four years, only one landlord has paid up.

Toronto is the second-most expensive rental market in Canada, with the average rent for a one-bedroom hitting $2,551 at the end of 2022, according to Rentals.ca and Urbanation. The average price of a two-bedroom hit $3,363.

Social worker Axiom Edmonds said fines less than a month’s rent aren’t likely to have an impact when an eviction could give a landlord the opportunity to set the rent higher for the next tenant.

“That’s nothing to a landlord.