Brampton Councillor Rowena Santos is calling for action to expand and strengthen the City’s Residential Rental Licensing (RRL) Program following the recent tragic house fire in Brampton that claimed multiple lives and devastated a family. The incident occurred outside the current pilot area, underscoring that safety risks exist across the entire city. In response, Councillor Santos, together with Councillor Dennis Keenan, moved a motion today, November 26, to accelerate citywide implementation and urge the Province to enhance support and enforcement tools for safer housing.
“This heartbreaking tragedy is a painful reminder that unsafe rental conditions are not limited to one neighbourhood or ward,” said Councillor Santos. “Every resident in Brampton deserves to live in a home that meets basic safety standards. Today’s Council decision to move toward a city-wide rollout of the RRL program is the right step to protect lives.”
Councillor Santos has supported the RRL program from its inception in 2022 and implementation in 2024 because it provides critical oversight including landlord accountability, mandatory safety declarations, insurance requirements, and proactive inspections that prioritize tenant safety. The enhanced framework approved by Council strengthens these protections and includes four new Fire Prevention Officers to increase inspection capacity.
However, Councillor Santos noted that municipalities cannot address these challenges alone.
“The Province mandated Additional Residential Units across Ontario, but municipalities were not given the funding or enforcement authority needed to ensure these units are legal, safe and properly maintained,” said Councillor Santos. “Brampton now has tens of thousands of additional rental units, and the enforcement burden has been pushed onto local fire, building, and by-law teams. We need the Province to step up and provide long-term support.”
Councillor Santos emphasized that more decisive action is needed at the provincial level.
“One preventable loss of life is a tragedy. We cannot allow this to happen again,” she added. “We need dedicated funding, stronger legislative authority, and a true partnership from the Province to ensure safe housing for everyone in Brampton.”
Moving forward, Councillor Santos would like to see:
- More inspectors and fire prevention officers
- Permanent provincial and federal funding
- Legislative reforms that enhance municipal inspection and enforcement powers
- Protection of safe, affordable rental housing
Media Contact: rowena.santos@brampton.ca
Important Links
Motion
Related Post
