At Toronto City Hall on April 9, 2026, the Economic and Community Development Committee, chaired by Councillor Alejandra Bravo, brought renewed attention to evictions in Toronto Community Housing—an issue with direct consequences for neighbourhoods across the Downtown East.
The item, driven by recommendations from the City’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism Advisory Committee, focused on introducing a temporary moratorium on certain evictions, improving race-based data collection, and creating clearer pathways to help displaced tenants secure stable housing.
In Regent Park and surrounding communities, where many residents rely on social housing, eviction continues to raise concerns about housing stability and displacement.
Residents and community advocates, including voices from Regent Park, spoke about the lived realities behind the data. Miguel Avila-Velarde, a local resident, emphasized the urgency of a temporary pause on evictions and challenged the adequacy of current reporting, pointing to TCHC figures he said show hundreds of evictions in recent years. He further called for broader data that reflects the full diversity of tenants affected by displacement.
Walied Khogali, also speaking from a community perspective, pointed to what he described as a rising trend. “2023 was the worst on record,” he said, citing data he believes shows a sharp increase in eviction-related actions affecting Black tenants. He warned that delaying action risks deepening systemic inequities already present in the housing system.
From an advocacy standpoint, Mohammed, vice-chair of the Coalition for Anti-Racism and Black Equity (CARB), emphasized the stakes. “When evictions happen, people aren’t just displaced—they’re pushed into homelessness,” she told the committee, framing social housing as “the last line of defense” for many vulnerable residents. She argued that both a moratorium and disaggregated race-based data are necessary to build a more equitable system.
City staff and councillors, however, raised concerns about the complexity of implementing a blanket moratorium. They pointed to legal constraints, existing eviction prevention measures, and data suggesting that completed evictions represent a small percentage of total tenancies. Some also emphasized the need to balance tenant protections with the safety and stability of entire buildings.
Ultimately, the committee voted to refer the recommendations for further study, delaying immediate action.
Still, the discussion signals mounting pressure on the City and Toronto Community Housing to respond more directly to eviction risks. For areas like Toronto’s Downtown East, where housing stability remains a daily concern, the outcome of this debate could shape how the city addresses displacement in the months ahead.
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