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TCHC Lawsuit

What's happening with the TCHC class action lawsuit? Tenants are still awaiting their repairs but no one said this would happen quickly. Taking the step of suing Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) and the governments of Ontario and Toronto is a radical solution meant to draw attention to a problem that has festered for years.

Toronto law firm Roach Schwartz & Associates are leading the battle to finally bring some relief to TCHC tenants

Kiké Roach (left) with Sarah Shantal announcing the Notice of Intention to Litigate against The Government of Ontario, The City of Toronto and TCHC, in 2007.

Kiké Roach, from Roach Schwartz & Assocates discussed the lawsuit observing, "The city can shut down a private landlord if they are running a slum. What do you do when the landlord is the city? We should hold them to the same standards as private landlord meeting  building codes and  fire codes that legislate properties in Ontario."

About the lawsuit Kiké Roach said, "We have a draft claim and we have to iron out the named plaintiffs issue." In simple words the lawyers are deciding whose names to put on the lawsuit. It is not been certified as a class action that is a step in the process that will occur later. She explains "We have undergone a few changes, with respect to the named plaintiffs. Once you put your name forward it becomes a public thing." It's the last step in the process, "Once that's done then we can file."

Asked if there has been a response from any of the potential defendants, the lawyer said, "TCHC has acknowledged there are $300 million dollars worth of repairs to be done. There is a larger pool of money needed to maintain these units. All of these levels of governments have acknowledged that something needs to be done but no one is taking any action." That's why this lawsuit is vital to force those in charge to finally bring these homes up to a viable standard of living enforced on private landlords and ignored by public landlords.

It shouldn't come down to this radical but necessary step. TCHC needs to get it's act together and come up with solutions not excuses. The money they will have to spend to defend this lawsuit will be found but not the funds to make the repairs and keep these properties in livable conditions, meeting city building and fire codes.