Guelph’s most contentious issue seemed to be approaching a resolution, that is, until Monday, when the city’s planning committee decided not to accept city staff’s recommendation that the proposed licensing program be scrapped in favour of better enforcement of current by-laws.

By a 4-1 count, the committee decided to keep the issue open for further public input and review. Landlords, clearly fearing for their bottom lines, seemed to be in the clear with overwhelming support from the public and staffers. It would seem though, that the pull of neighbourhood groups and associations proved substantial enough to stay any decision one way or another. In their search to quell noise and protect the appeal of their neighbourhoods, the push for some further degree of rental controls continues.

The full story is below from Tuesday’s Mercury.

Rental housing licensing option remains on the table for Guelph

By Vik Kirsch

GUELPH—It’s back to the drawing board for the city’s controversial proposed rental housing reforms.

In a 4-1 vote Monday, members of council’s planning & building, engineering and environment committee rejected a staff report recommending enhanced enforcement and education over licensing rental space in response to protracted public complaints about unruly tenants and substandard housing.

“The business case is not there,” Coun. Karl Wettstein said. Stressing they weren’t criticizing staff, he and Coun. Leanne Piper suggested that through a lengthy public consultation process, the city heard plenty from landlords opposing licensing, but not enough from residents who may favour it or other concrete action.

But Coun. Cam Guthrie, the dissenting voice, said residents had more than enough opportunity to make their voices heard over extensive consultations and the resultant report was superb.

“As far as I see it, we did one heck of a great job in the consultation,” Guthrie said, concluding it was a “brilliantly written” report. “I think the report is fantastic.” He stressed staff initially favoured licensing rental units until they came to another conclusion after researching it.

But Mayor Karen Farbridge, a committee member, also concluded the staff report was “incomplete” because it didn’t offer a clear rationale why licensing was rejected. The report states licensing always remains an option in future, even if council opts for something else in the meantime, but that’s not clearly “articulated” in the report, she added.

“I don’t think the report has addressed all the key issues,” the mayor said.

Piper added she wasn’t convinced beefing up bylaw enforcement, public education, rental housing inspections and fines would suffice, seeing little improvement over a similar approach today.

“This is a status quo report,” Piper said.

On Monday, the committee heard from a stream of landlords opposing licensing as costly and ineffective.

The dissenting voice was John Gruzleski of the Old University neighbourhood residents’ association. He told the committee current methods were ineffective toward problems associated with rental units. He termed the report “benign and disappointing” for relying on a passive approach in which city staff respond to housing complaints regarding the city’s typically low-rise and basement apartments.

Gruzleski also noted the inconsistency in licensing bed-and-breakfast operations, but not rental accommodation.

Wettstein said it’s clear residents have concerns in neighbourhoods with lots of tenant housing. “I know none of them are happy,” the councillor said.

“Licensing is definitely not the way to go,” landlord Tony Santoro told the committee on Monday, stressing if landlords do not meet housing standards the city should “suck it up,” because it benefits greatly from rental accommodation.

The key is educating landlords on the standards expected of them, said Santoro. “My bottom line is keep it simple,” he said. “Let’s all work together.”

Landlord Andrew Arklie told the committee any profession, including his field, is going to have some “bad apples,” but the way to deal with them is through existing property standards and related laws.

“We should utilize existing bylaws,” property manager Aldo Martone told the committee.

Asked when the enhanced report would come back to committee, planning, building, engineering and environment executive director Janet Laird said it wouldn’t likely be by June.