A new bylaw geared toward protecting renters in the city of Kitchener was passed by a committee on Monday.
According to a staff report, the Rental Replacement Bylaw will force property owners to provide assistance to tenants when they seek to demolish six or more rental units.
“The bylaw will apply if the property is going to be converted or demolished,” city planner Lucas Van Meer-Mass told council during a meeting of the planning and strategic initiatives committee.
He said they looked at every option where it could be applied but that renovictions were off the table.
“Staff explored every opportunity to apply this bylaw to as many circumstances as possible,” van Meer-Mass said. “It will not protect renters who are displaced by renovations. This is simply a power the city doesn’t have.”
There will be three choices available to renters under the bylaw if they are to be displaced by renovations or demolition, including a rent waiver or compensation or a replacement unit.
Similar bylaws have been enacted recently in Mississauga, Oakville and Toronto.
Council passed the bylaw through committee on Monday but it will still need to be passed at council as a whole meeting before it is enacted.
An amendment to the bylaw was also passed that will require staff to report on the bylaw’s effects in June 2025.