Councillors favour beefed up property enforcement, formation of stakeholder committee
By Matthew Van Dongen
City councillors have shelved a controversial rental licensing bylaw in the face of opposition from landlords, affordable housing advocates — and surprisingly, their own planning director.
The city planning committee tabled a decision Tuesday on the latest staff proposal to license rental housing with six units or fewer, despite changes designed to delay enforcement and make it cheaper for landlords.
Instead, five councillors endorsed $455,000 worth of annual, permanently beefed up property standards enforcement and a late suggestion from Chad Collins to form a stakeholder committee to explore ways to deal with an estimated 8,000 illegal apartments across the city.
Article and image source: The Hamilton Spectator
