Toronto's Rental Heat Fight Stalls Another Year

Toronto renters are heading into another summer without a mandatory cooling standard for apartments. City council has been discussing a maximum temperature bylaw for nearly 15 years, but moved only incrementally this week, asking city staff to draft a framework by the end of June.

The holdup comes down to money. Some councillors worry that requiring air conditioning in more units will let landlords pass costs to tenants through above-guideline rent increases. "Somebody always pays," Councillor Stephen Holyday said at a mid-May meeting. "Do you think the landlords are going to print some money in the basement?"

But advocates say waiting for a perfect cost solution means doing nothing at all. Councillor Josh Matlow, who first proposed this bylaw in 2012, argues landlords already max out their allowable rent hikes on other upgrades anyway. "If we keep waiting to do something until we figure out all the problems, we're never going to do anything," he said.

A 2023 CBC investigation found that more than half of 50 unair-conditioned Toronto rental units stayed at or above 26°C — the threshold where heat illness risk climbs for vulnerable people — for at least half the summer. The city's Medical Officer of Health confirmed this week that prolonged indoor heat of 26°C or higher raises that risk significantly.

Meanwhile, council is also pushing other levels of government to help cover cooling costs, a signal they're not confident the city alone can solve this affordably.