5. Safety and Security in Rental Buildings: An Information Guide for Ottawa’s Residential Landlords prepared by Crime Prevention Ottawa

La sécurité dans les immeubles locatifs : Guide d’information destiné aux locateurs d’habitations à Ottawa

Committee Recommendations AS AMENDED

That Council:

1. Receive the attached document for information.

2. Approve that the City of Ottawa write Minister Watson calling on him to put forward a comprehensive plan to provide increased supportive services, safer communities funding and substantial repair funds to upgrade and repair public housing, that copies of the letter be sent to the Premier, all local MPP’s, and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).

Recommandations MODIFIÉEs du comité

1. prenne connaissance du rapport à titre d’information.

2. accepte que la Ville d’Ottawa écrive au ministre Watson afin de lui demander d’établir un plan global visant à accroître les services de soutien, à financer des mesures de sécurité collective accrues et à consentir des crédits importants pour la mise à niveau et la réparation des logements publics, et que des copies de la lettre soient envoyées au premier ministre de la province, aux députés provinciaux de la région ainsi qu’à l’Association des municipalités de l’Ontario.

Documentation

1. Councillor Jacques Legendre’s report dated 26 July 2008 (ACS2008-CCS-CPS-0028).

2. Document 1 - Safety and Security in Rental Building: An Information Guide for Ottawa’s Residential Landlords, also available in French was previously distributed to all members of Council and is held on file with the City Clerk.

3. Extract of Minute, 3 July 2008.

Report to/Rapport au :

Community and Protective Services Committee

Comité des services communautaires et de protection

and Council / et au Conseil

26 July 2008 / le 26 juillet 2008

Submitted by/Soumis par : Jacques Legendre

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Nancy Worsfold, Executive Director /

Directrice générale, Prévention du crime Ottawa

Crime Prevention Ottawa

(613) 580-2424 x28518, Nancy.Worsfold@ottawa.ca

City-Wide/ À L'échelle De La Ville

Ref N°: ACS2008-CCS-CPS-0028

SUBJECT:	Safety and Security in Rental Buildings: An Information Guide for Ottawa’s Residential Landlords prepared by Crime Prevention Ottawa

OBJET :	La sécurité dans les immeubles locatifs : Guide d’information destiné aux locateurs d’habitations à Ottawa

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

That Community and Protective Services Committee and Council receive the attached document for information.

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

Que le Comité des services communautaires et de protection et le Conseil reçoivent le document ci-joint à titre d’information.

BACKGROUND

Crime Prevention Ottawa has been working closely with community partners on a crime prevention initiative called Together for Vanier. Through this initiative and through CPO’s involvement in other communities, drug houses and other problem properties have been identified as a fundamental concern to crime affected neighbourhoods of Ottawa.

Landlords can be key to solving these issues, but often they do not have the tools or the information in order to resolve the situation. In order to support landlords in keeping their buildings safe, Crime Prevention Ottawa has developed a booklet entitled: Safety and Security in Rental Buildings: An Information Guide for Ottawa’s Residential Landlords with the sponsorship of both the Ottawa Police Service and the City of Ottawa’s Bylaw services.

DISCUSSION

Safety and Security in Rental Buildings: An Information Guide for Ottawa’s Residential Landlords addresses a number of important issues for landlords including:

Tenant selection and screening
Welcoming new tenants and assuring early contact
Repair and safety obligations of landlords
Helping tenants live peaceably
Understanding what is considered unreasonable behaviours
Illegal acts and businesses
Endangering others
How to evict someone for illegal activity, impaired safety or substantial interference the peaceful enjoyment of other tenants
Special tips for rooming houses
Issues of domestic violence
Referral resources to support tenants and landlords

Crime Prevention Ottawa will make a limited number of copies available to Landlords and to enforcement personnel. CPO will focus on distributing the booklet via their website. Efforts will be made to promote the booklet through landlord associations, realtors, community associations and appropriate websites. If there is adequate interest expressed, Crime Prevention Ottawa will host an information meeting for landlords this autumn. The booklet will also serve as a reference tool for the proposed “Landlord school” and any information meetings will be organized in conjunction with this important initiative.

CONSULTATION

In preparing this publication Crime Prevention Ottawa consulted with the Ottawa Police Service, City By-Law Services and Housing Branch, Housing Help, Family Services Service à la Famille Ottawa, the Eastern Ottawa Community Resource Centre, the Canadian Mental Health Association and private landlords.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Document 1 - Safety and Security in Rental Building: An Information Guide for Ottawa’s Residential Landlords (Distributed separately)

DISPOSITION

Council and Committee Services to forward the report to Council for information.

Safety and Security in Rental Buildings: An Information Guide for Ottawa’s Residential Landlords prepared by Crime Prevention Ottawa

La sécurité dans les immeubles locatifs : Guide d’information destiné aux locateurs d’habitations à Ottawa

ACS2008-CCS-CPS-0028 CITY WIDE / À L'ÉCHELLE DE LA VILLE

Nancy Worsfold, Manager, Crime Prevention Ottawa, spoke to a brief PowerPoint slide presentation, which served to provide the Committee with an overview of the report. A copy of this presentation is held on file with the office of the City Clerk.

Wayne Rodney, Hintonburg Community Association said that he welcomed the opportunity to speak on this landlord’s booklet. He is a board member with the Hintonburg Community Association and also a member of Scan Strategy Group, Citizens for Safer Communities; he is a strong supporter of this booklet. The information guide is a superb document for providing easy read and detailed information for landlords. It provides clear info on how to avoid problems or deal with them when they arise. The Hintonburg Community Association has seen a need for such a document in the past. They have worked with landlords in the past and they are not always aware of the problems in their buildings and don’t know how to deal with them when they arise. They are also aware of problems with landlords and this guide helps with all. They congratulate Crime Prevention Ottawa for spearheading this. They look forward to giving this to some of the landlords they work with.

Councillor Cullen said he had the pleasure of reading through the document and found it to be an easy read and is very well detailed.

Councillor Feltmate commented as a board member of Ottawa Community Housing that the big difference with that organization is that they don’t have the choice and selection of renters. They had to implement a “Safer Communities” program with security to improve life for their tenants. Many organizations such as theirs experience the difficulties that are addressed in the booklet, but have more difficulty in dealing with the proposed solutions. She asked if this was an opportunity for us to talk to the Province of our needs in order to have safe housing and ask for more money from the Province. She stated that the City should be calling on the minister to provide funding for support services for the things he’s saying are the City’s responsibility.

Chair Deans stated that a member should draft a motion in this regard. She mentioned that had read a recent article in the Ottawa Sun where Minister Jim Watson was saying that those convicted of violent crime couldn’t be evicted from public housing. She said that the City needs more money in terms of support services. She inquired from Legal if the Minister’s comments were correct.

Carey Thomson, Manager, Legal Services, stated that he disagreed with Minister Watson’s comments. He said that from a legal perspective, during tenancy, if criminal activity takes place that endangers others, eviction proceedings could be taken. The booklet aptly points out and highlights a number of challenges with eviction proceedings.

Councillor Cullen added a comment that the legislation permits evictions based on antisocial behaviour but wants to differentiate between those who engage in criminal activity and those who have been convicted and paid their price; the latter shouldn’t be discriminated against vis-à-vis public housing.

Moved by Councillor P. Feltmate

WHEREAS public housing was downloaded from the Province of Ontario in a state of disrepair and with no reserves;

AND WHEREAS Minister Watson was quoted in the Toronto Star as saying “Public Housing tenants who fire guns, deal drugs or assault neighbours shouldn’t be evicted from Toronto’s public housing projects…”, and, “If someone has been convicted of a crime we can’t kick them out of public housing for that reason.”, and he described the City’s public housing stock as “disgraceful, unsafe and unclean”;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of Ottawa write Minister Watson calling on him to put forward a comprehensive plan to provide increased supportive services, safer communities funding and substantial repair funds to upgrade and repair public housing, that copies of the letter be sent to the Premier, all local MPP’s, and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).

CARRIED

That the Community and Protective Services Committee and Council:

1. Receive the attached document for information.

CARRIED as amended