Ward 29 councillor Mary Fragedakis has asked city council to support a private member’s bill in the Ontario legislature that focuses on rent control in the city.

The bill, proposed by NDP MPP Peter Tabuns, aims to close the loophole that allows buildings built after 1991 to have uncontrolled rent increases.

“We need to find a way to get more affordable rental apartment buildings built in this city, and we haven’t had that in a very long time,” Fragedakis said. “Of course, this includes rent control.”

East York reacts

Two days earlier Fragedakis was in attendance of a community meeting held by Tabuns. The meeting was held at Bethany Baptist Church on Pape Avenue. It was created to discuss Tabun’s bill and his plans going forward.

“Our aim is to start a political push to get rent control in this province,” Tabuns said at the meeting.

East Yorkers had a chance to attend the meeting to talk about their own experience with rent control.

Tabuns noted that one of the most common issues tenants face is vacancy decontrol.

“People talk about units that go from $1,200 a month to $1,600 or more when they moved out of those units. That gives landlords a tremendous incentive to empty out buildings,” he said. “It’s a crucial piece of any rent control that we bring forward.”

Tabuns said the bill is the first step in the journey to combat the lack of rent control in the city.