As the country responds to the coronavirus outbreak, suspensions on evictions for renters are said to take hold in Ontario as a means to curb the spread of the novel virus and ease the financial distress caused by it.
As first reported by Global News, a statement was sent out Monday evening from the Ministry of the Attorney General that said, “Tribunals Ontario is reviewing pending eviction matters in light of the rapidly evolving circumstances related to COVID-19 and no new eviction orders will be issued until further notice.”
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The statement also said that Sheriff’s offices were asked to postpone any scheduled eviction enforcements set for this week.
This news comes as Ontario reported a total of 177 cases of the virus on Monday evening, 96 of which are here in Toronto. Just five cases have been flagged as resolved.
On Monday evening, Toronto's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Eileen de Villa said she is now starting to see evidence of “community spread” of the coronavirus, which means the virus is spreading locally and without known links to where it originated from.
To further curb the spread of the virus, Premier Doug Ford declared a State of Emergency in Ontario Tuesday morning. The state of emergency will currently last until March 31.
This declaration includes the prohibition of any organized events of 50+ people and calls on the following closures:
Evan Siddal, President of CMHC, has also issued a message in which he says he expects "any housing provider who has received financing or support from CMHC, directly or via provinces and territories, to act compassionately and refrain from evictions."
Toronto Storeys had reached out to Ontario's Sheriff’s office but had not heard back by the time of publication.
