Rent In the Era of COVID-19: An Interview with Victoria Tenant Action Group

By Florian Castle

On the 25th of March, John Horgan’s NDP government outlined their plan for dealing with the COVID-19 Pandemic. The government’s plan was swiftly condemned by Lekwungen territory-based tenant advocacy organization Victoria Tenant Action Group, or VTAG. VTAG’s statement described some of the issues with Horgan’s proposal, most notably the complete insufficiency of their rent subsidy of $500 per month which would cover only a third of the average monthly rent in Greater Victoria.

Toronto tenants organize “Keep Your Rent” campaign during pandemic

By Ivan Byard

This article was originally published in the April 1-15, 2020 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper

Workers, especially low-income tenants, are being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite social distancing, they’re organizing to put their rights and needs ahead of landlords’ profits. Parkdale Organize, a membership-based group of working class people who organize to build neighbourhood power in Toronto’s Parkdale area, has called for tenants to “Keep Your Rent on April 1.” The campaign comes on the heels of the Ontario Superior Court March 19 decision to place a hold on the enforcement of residential evictions, and the subsequent decision of the Toronto the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) to suspend hearings.

For a People’s Recovery, NOT A Corporate Plunder!

YCL-LJC Central Executive Committee, March 2020

This statement was originally published on the Young Communist League of Canada - La Ligue de la jeunesse communiste du Canada homepage


We salute the immense efforts of healthcare workers to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and provide their essential services in a state of emergency. For over 30 years public sector unions and community organisations have struggled against privatisation, job loss, and closures in the healthcare sector. Our public healthcare system was overwhelmed before the outbreak of the global pandemic. Decades of cuts and austerity will leave working people, Indigenous peoples, the unemployed, the elderly, and the poor severely exposed unless emergency action is taken. 

Media release: Communist Party Calls For Federal Housing Program

Housing is a basic human right, but remains in state of crisis across Canada

Communist Party leader Miguel Figueroa has unveiled the CPC’s housing platform, including the call for an immediate and massive campaign to build thousands of publicly-owned social, cooperative and non-profit housing units, and to repair and upgrade existing stock.

“Right across the country, housing is in a state of crisis,” said Figueroa. “Despite the reality that millions of people are in desperate need of housing, this has not been a key election issue during the past 20 years. Shamefully, Canada sits alone among developed countries, as the only one that does not have a federal housing strategy. Successive Canadian governments have left housing to the private sector, placing developers’ profit interests ahead of this basic human right.”

The Communist Party housing platform includes emergency and long term action:

* An immediate and massive campaign to build thousands of publicly-owned social, cooperative and non-profit housing units, and to repair and upgrade existing stock. Such a campaign would provide desperately needed housing and create thousands of jobs – for every unit of housing built, 6 spin-off jobs are created.

* A Federal Housing Strategy, which would include the establishment of federal-provincial-municipal land banks and real rent controls.

* A ban on evictions, mortgage foreclosures and utility cut-offs due to non-payment that is related to unemployment (including strikes and lockouts).

* Tenant control over housing, through meaningful tenant representation at elected housing boards.

The complete Communist Party election platform, including the housing platform, is available at www.votecommunist.ca.

Miguel Figueroa is campaigning in Winnipeg today, with local candidates Darrell Rankin (Winnipeg Centre) and Frank Komarniski (Winnipeg North). To arrange interviews, contact Darrell Rankin at 204-586-7824 or 204-792-3371, or contact the CPC central campaign at 416-469-2446.

The Communist Party of Canada is the second oldest political party in Canada, with a long and proud history in the forefront of working class and progressive struggles for peace, jobs, democracy, sovereignty, and internationalism. In 2003, the CPC won a historic victory for democracy in Canada, by successfully challenging draconian changes to the Elections Act that required parties to field 50 candidates in elections or face deregistration and seizure of assets.

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Drop the 2010 Olympic Legacy of Poverty!

Young Communist League – BC Executive Committee

On November 17th it was announced that Millennium Water, the developer responsible for the 2010 Olympic Village, had gone into receivership. This means the value of the frivolous of excessive high-cost condos will be shouldered by the people of British Columbia. Yet another blow to B.C., the fightback must advance to block the further misuse of tax money.

British Columbians cannot shoulder the $750 million dollars for this housing, most of which is out of the reach of regular working people. The Young Communist League demands that corporate taxes be raised to cover the cost of the housing, and the project be transitioned into low-cost units for working class, low-income families.

Furthermore, corporate income tax should bare the complete burden of all low income housing. Dedicated homes for students must be provided at no cost for a truly accessible education system. Instead of paying out for the 2010 Olympic Circus, money must be used to fund real people and their immediate needs.

The fate of Millennium Water proves both that the poor planning of the Olympics is going to leave a lasting economic scar on B.C., and that the interests of working people are not being advanced by the Provincial and Vancouver Municipal governments. Now is the time for change, British Columbians cannot wait until the next election to boot out corporate politicians. Affordable, accessible housing now!

cartoon: Henry Dubb by Ryan Walker

Ryan Walker was a cartoonist for the Socialist Paper Appeal to Reason in the days before WWI and the Russian Revolution. We have posted a cartoon below dealing with housing. You can see more cartoons on the Marxists Internet Archive website (marxists.org) [link to homepage] [deep link to cartoons]