Rent-striking tenants voice concerns over landlord’s involvement in Quayside project

Tenants currently on a rent strike are speaking out against the company chosen to develop a parcel of land on the Toronto waterfront claiming that the company cannot be trusted to build affordable housing.

Waterfront Toronto, the majority owners of the site, announced in February 2022 an agreement with Dream Unlimited Corp. and Great Gulf Group to turn the 12-acre site at the foot of Parliament Street into Canada’s largest all-electric, zero-carbon master-planned community featuring more than 800 affordable housing units, with more than half being family-sized with at least two bedrooms.

The partnership stepped in almost two years after Google affiliate Sidewalk Labs walked away from developing the land because of “unprecedented economic uncertainty.”

“We’re concerned that Waterfront Toronto is choosing to do business with Dream Unlimited when they have both proven to be a predatory landlord and a bad faith actor with the tenant union in York South-Weston,” said Chiara Padovani, the co-chair of the York South-Weston Tenant Union.

“We’re very concerned when the developer responsible for providing those units is a landlord that has been increasing rent as high as 17 per cent at 22 John Street and is refusing to negotiate.”

Dream Unlimited is the landlord at 22 John and 33 King Streets, two buildings that have been on a rent strike for months. Tenants there say they do not trust the company to provide affordable housing because of what they’re calling a history of outrageous rent increases. Officials with Dream say the increases at 22 John have been limited to between 7 to 9 per cent.

“What we have experienced is a total nightmare for tenants just like myself and that’s not right,” said Anthony Alao of the York South-Weston Tenant Union. “What we’re worried about is repeating the same mistake over and over again and not learning anything from it.”

Waterfront Toronto says the current plan is for the City of Toronto to own the affordable rental housing units.

“Dream Unlimited and Great Gulf are involved in supporting the construction of the affordable rental units,” reads a statement sent to CityNews. “It is not intended for the Quayside project to have the private development partners involved in ownership or operation of the affordable rental housing units. Once constructed, these units will be owned and operated by the City, in partnership with not-for-profits.”

“The 800 affordable units or the affordable units that are supposed to be part of this development, that can be built by anyone,” counters Padovani. “The city and Waterfront Toronto could choose to have any developer build those units for the city and they’re choosing to build with a developer that has proven to be predatory and a bad faith actor.”

CityNews reached out to Dream Unlimited who counter that some of the claims being made by the tenant union are false, including the over 100 are on a rent strike, saying the number is actually much lower.

“Dream has resolved issues with residents who require assistance on an individual basis,” the company said in a statement. “We continue to encourage the Tenant Association and residents who require extended payment plans to reach out to us.”