Tenants at Parkdale's 75 Spencer Ave. win six-month rent strike as landlord withdraws above-guideline increase
MetCap Living dropped its 5.4 per cent rent hike application after tenants stopped paying rent in March. A second strike has begun in Scarborough.
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More than 30 tenants at 75 Spencer Ave. in Parkdale stopped paying rent in March and won. MetCap Living, the property management company, withdrew its application for an above-guideline rent increase (AGI) of 5.4 per cent after six months of the strike.
The increase would have pushed rents well beyond Ontario's 2.5 per cent maximum allowable increase for 2025. Tenants said the renovations MetCap cited to justify the AGI — a lobby renovation and conversion of an office to a rental unit — didn't improve their living conditions. The building was sold to a new owner in May, but MetCap continues managing it.
"We won because we stayed strong and united. We were always committed to seeing this through to the end," said Luz Flores, a tenant at the building, in a statement Thursday evening. Bryan Doherty of Parkdale Organize said the strike worked because "our neighbours did the thing that everyone talks about but almost no one does: they formed an independent organization, stepped outside of legal and political convention, and directly confronted their landlord."
Michael Guyette, vice-president of operations at MetCap Living, said the company applied for an AGI for the first time in 16 years.
Meanwhile, a second rent strike began September 1 at 2293 Eglinton Avenue E. in Scarborough. Around a dozen families stopped paying rent at the building, which is owned by BGO Investment and managed by Drake Property Management. Drake Property Management disputes the scale, saying only 10 of 118 units are involved in the strike.
The Scarborough landlord applied for an AGI of 0.6 per cent for 2025 and 3 per cent for 2026 — combining with the maximum allowable increases to reach 8.2 per cent over two years. Jennie Ernewein, a tenant there, paid $1,700 monthly when she moved in five years ago.
What happens if the Scarborough landlord's AGI application is approved despite the strike?
Will either strike set a precedent that encourages other tenant organizing in Toronto?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
How many tenants participated in the Parkdale rent strike?
More than 30 tenants at 75 Spencer Ave. in Parkdale stopped paying rent in March.
What rent increase was MetCap Living seeking at 75 Spencer Ave.?
MetCap Living applied for an above-guideline rent increase of 5.4 per cent, which exceeded Ontario's 2.5 per cent maximum allowable increase for 2025.
When did the Scarborough rent strike begin?
A second rent strike began on September 1 at 2293 Eglinton Avenue E. in Scarborough, involving around a dozen families who stopped paying rent.
What is the combined rent increase being sought in Scarborough over two years?
The landlord at 2293 Eglinton Avenue E. applied for an above-guideline increase of 0.6 per cent for 2025 and 3 per cent for 2026, which combined with maximum allowable increases reaches 8.2 per cent over two years.
