Did Aparment Buildings Deteriorate Overnight

Miller and his cabal have had three years to deal with this problem and it appears they accomplished little so grandstanding by Moscoe will accomplish little and I am sure Moscoe won't get as big a thrill as he did from touring strip clubs.

Moscoe calls for tour of squalor
Chair of licensing and standards committee to take media to see worst apartments around the city
January 22, 2007
Donovan Vincent
CITY HALL BUREAU

Howard Moscoe is coming to a run-down apartment building near you.

The flamboyant Toronto politician, and recently minted chair of the city's new licensing and standards committee, is promising to conduct a "media tour'' of the worst kept buildings in Toronto in about a month.

In the meantime, city staff will help him gather information on the worst offenders, based on outstanding work orders.

"I'm lining up my list of crummy apartments in the city,'' Moscoe said after his committee's first meeting of the year on Friday. "I'll have one of the tenants invite me in, and tenants, I'm sure, will be very happy to invite me,''

He has never conducted a tour of apartment buildings, but in 2001 he toured strip clubs (including the dressing rooms) as part of a review of exotic dancer licensing issues.

With the apartment tour, Moscoe wants to increase public awareness of how some in Toronto are forced to live, because "we've got a lot of substandard buildings, and people are living in squalor in the city.''

Once he has his list, he hopes to do the tours by teaming up with councillors in wards where there are buildings like the "pretty rotten stuff'' around Eglinton and Oakwood Aves. in his ward.

Right now, he "can't even guess'' how many buildings are in poor shape.

Brad Butt, president of the Greater Toronto Apartment Association, believes there are about 2,200 privately owned rental apartment buildings in Toronto, with "probably a few hundred'' having chronic repair issues.

Butt welcomed the tour, but said Moscoe should also view the well-maintained buildings.

"He should look at the bad and the well-run,'' Butt said, arguing there are far less of the former than the latter. "I'll invite him to come and take a tour of my members' buildings.''

The issue of decrepit buildings in the city is in the spotlight again, with calls from politicians like Moscoe and councillor Anthony Perruzza (Ward 8, York West), another committee member, for the licensing of Toronto landlords.

On Friday, the committee approved Perruzza's proposal, which asked for staff to report back by June on licensing options, and for a briefing to the committee March 30. One idea being floated by Moscoe is a grading system where landlords would be charged fees based on the condition of their buildings. The better the building, the lower the fee, a scheme he says would be an incentive for landlords to do needed repairs.

"I think even bad landlords understand it's better to put your money into your building, than give it to the city as a licensing fee,'' he said.

But the licensing idea has its critics, who say good landlords will be punished and any additional fees will be passed on to tenants.

Committee member Denzil Minnan-Wong said the city is "over-regulated'' and another layer of regulation will discourage the construction of rental housing. There were also calls Friday for an increase in the number of city inspectors who visit buildings.

with files from John Spears