Sarnia council has directed staff to gather public input, including feedback from stakeholders, to help draft a proposed 'renoviction' bylaw.
A report went to council on Monday after concerns were raised during the February 9 meeting about the practice of renovictions, where a landlord evicts a tenant under the guise of completing repairs or renovations.
So far, there are only three municipalities with bylaws to address renovictions: Toronto, Hamilton, and London. However, city staff said the bylaws only recently came into force and there's little data to rely upon.
"If the City of Sarnia intends to proceed with adopting a renoviction bylaw, the most efficient approach would be to amend the current licensing bylaw, rather than develop a new standalone bylaw, as was done by the City of Hamilton," read the report to council.
Other considerations include a possible amendment to the Fees for Service Bylaw and a separate Administrative Monetary Penalties Bylaw if council wants to establish monetary penalties for non-compliance.
"The City of Sarnia should conduct its own research, including public engagement, to ensure the amendments to Licensing Bylaw address Sarnia-specific issues and concerns and do not inadvertently leave gaps," read the report.
The City of Sarnia typically receives between one and two complaints per year regarding possible renovictions, but details surrounding the complaints are unknown. Enacting a renovictions bylaw would not eliminate the need to go to the Landlord and Tenant Board.
City Solicitor Emma Nicholson said public engagement will take some time and a report likely won't be ready by the June council meeting, as council is expected to take a break ahead of the fall municipal election.
"Our other recommendation was to conduct a cost analysis, which we would propose bringing forward to the budget," said Nicholson.
"What concerns me is I do believe it's a problem that needs addressing. I feel a little bit like we're kicking the can down the road," said City/County Councillor Bill Dennis.
Mayor Mike Bradley noted Sarnia is one of the smaller communities looking to possibly enact this type of bylaw.
"It's frustrating on the timing but we need to do this right," said Bradley.
Councillor Adam Kilner acknowledged the legalities of the matter.
"I want to move this forward, but I also want us to do our due diligence," Kilner said. "I would hope with the urgency we have that we can move this forward as quickly as possible."
Sarnia council unanimously approved staff's recommendation to begin public consultation and to complete a cost analysis before a bylaw can be implemented.
During the March 9 council meeting, a motion was passed to call on the Ford government to review and amend the Residential Tenancies Act.
