Repairs and rising costs take centre stage at Scarborough ACORN meeting

by Amelia Singh April 11, 2026

Scarborough residents spoke about unresolved repair issues and the financial pressures shaping daily life across the community.

temp — Photo by Alex Ohan, Courtesy of Pexels

Scarborough residents and neighbours gathered at the Don Montgomery Community Recreation Centre for ACORN’s March chapter meeting. As with other chapter meetings, the event served as a space for ACORN members, tenants and neighbours to share concerns, hear updates and plan possible collective action.

Organizers opened with an update on ACORN’s repair campaigns. They pointed to Mayor Olivia Chow’s motion to begin remedial action at 500 Dawes Rd. and said City staff are expected to bring RentSafeTO reforms to the Planning and Housing Committee on April 14. Organizers told attendees ACORN is continuing to push for stronger enforcement.

Much of the meeting focused on repair delays. One tenant described a bathroom ceiling and water damage that had gone without repair for weeks. Organizers encouraged the tenant to keep written records and contact 311 should the landlord continue to delay.

Another tenant raised concerns about a crumbling wall that had already been photographed by the City. That led to a wider discussion about what happens when landlords still fail to act after City involvement; ACORN representative Ty Riches said these cases can take a long time to move through the system with many taking years.

Parking fees also came up as a possible organizing issue. One tenant said rates had gone up sharply and that enforcement around payment was inconsistent.

Organizers pointed to a past campaign at 399 Markham Rd., where tenants organized and later won reimbursements. They said a demonstration could be one possible next step if enough residents wanted to move forward together.

The meeting ended with a brief discussion about Toronto Community Housing rent increases. Two members said they had received notices that their rent was going up.

Organizers said those increases are generally based on reported income and encouraged residents to contact their housing office if they wanted clarification.

Key takeaways

ACORN updated members on its State of Repair campaign, including the report launch, the push for stronger RentSafeTO enforcement, and upcoming City discussion on reforms.

Repair delays remained a major concern for tenants, with members describing unresolved water damage, holes, crumbling walls and the difficulty of getting landlords to complete proper repairs.

Increased parking fees at Trudelle St. emerged as the clearest local issue for possible action, with members discussing tenant outreach and collective organizing.

On-the-ground observations from our documenter, Jack Cochrane

The main feeling I was left with was how normalized it seems these problems have become. Tenants were talking about AGIs, weak communication, delays, pressure tactics and building conditions in a way that sounded routine.

The trailer park discussion felt especially urgent but it still connected back to the same larger problem(s) of people being pushed around or taken advantage of while trying to hold onto housing they can afford.

A lot of the meeting was people trying to fill in gaps for each other, whether that meant explaining AGIs, talking through landlord behaviour, or sharing what had happened in their own building. That made the whole thing feel less like a formal meeting and more like people gathering to make sense of a system that is hard to navigate on your own.

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Meeting notes documented by Jack Cochrane

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