PERSPECTIVES: It’s About Time We Take Our City Back From Corporate Interests 

On March 28, I had the pleasure of participating in the province-wide Fight Ford protests right here in London, Ontario at Victoria Park. I was incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to speak to an issue that Londoners across this city know all too well— our city being an increasingly unaffordable rental market with working-class Londoners priced out of housing by corporate developers and predatory landlords.  

Now, with the news that our city has officially earned the unfortunate distinction of having the highest unemployment rate in the country at 9.1%, this housing emergency has become all the more dire.  

As a support worker, community organizer, and housing advocate with the London East of Adelaide chapter of ACORN, a tenant union with over 3,000 members across this beautiful city and upwards of 185,000 across Canada, I’ve seen the disastrous real-world impact of this manufactured crisis first hand. Time and time again, ACORN and a whole host of grassroots community organizations have stepped up when all three levels of government have neglected their duty to their citizens, especially the most vulnerable among us.  

Together, through the power of collective action, we organized a series of workshops to ensure that tenants know their rights. We helped tenants set up unions in their own buildings to keep themselves and their neighbours protected against predatory landlords. We got renovictions banned in this city, a practice where slumlords will claim that they need to evict tenants to conduct extensive repairs when in reality, they’re kicking them out to raise the rent. On a national level, we fought to cap Non-Sufficient Funds fees at $10 to keep more of your money in your pocket, and together, we won. Collective action works, but we still have a lot more work ahead of us. 

Today, 1.3 million square feet of office space downtown sits vacant while over 2,000 Londoners experience homelessness. The CBRE reports that the office vacancy rate has increased by almost 1% from the third to last quarter of 2025, and remains the highest among major Canadian cities tracked by CBRE. Even worse, 60% of all vacant commercial properties downtown are owned by one singular company—that being none other than Farhi Holdings. If you’ve ever been to London, I’m sure you’ve seen his name everywhere. He’s our city’s evil corporate overlord; he owns half the city and more than half of our city councillors.  

On top of that, municipalities across the province are facing a serious humanitarian crisis on our streets, and it’s projected to get a whole lot worse. A study from the Association of Municipalities projects that in the next 10 years, over 300,000 people could become unhoused, and unfortunately, this really comes as no surprise. 34% of all renters in this country spend more than 50% of their income on rent, and this number jumps to an insane 49% among my demographic, 18 to 24 years old. 12% of renters are forced to put a whopping 70% of their income towards rent, and from my personal experiences working with tenants, these are often people with disabilities, people who were injured in the workplace, people on ODSP or OW or seniors. People are having to choose between paying their rent or affording groceries for the month. This is legislated poverty. Finally, and what I find to be the most offensive of these statistics, 54% of all evictions are no-fault, meaning that the tenant did nothing wrong. In BC, this number rises to 85%, and while it’s difficult to find up-to-date statistics for Ontario or even London, I’d be willing to bet that it’s pretty similar.   

So, what does our premier, Doug Ford do in the face of this ongoing and imminent crisis?   

He introduces Bill 60, which makes it easier for landlords to evict tenants and harder for tenants to fight back through the Landlord and Tenant Board. He told an ACORN member sitting in the gallery while this horrific bill passed through the legislature to “go get a job,” implying that he was somehow lazy, which is incredibly ironic for someone like Doug Ford, who has the worst attendance rate of any premier at Queen’s Park. He also cut OSAP funding, telling students that if they didn’t want to end up in immense debt, they should stop choosing “basket weaving courses.” But the degrees that cost the most to pay off are typically in healthcare, and he’s also cutting that and defunding safe consumption sites. These aren’t abstract policy decisions; these decisions impact real human lives.  

Doug Ford is killing people. Doug Ford is putting people out on the street. Doug Ford is destroying the very healthcare system that we pride ourselves upon as Canadians, and he’s making it impossible for young people to have much of a future in this province.   

It’s shameful that in a country as rich as Canada, and in a province as rich as Ontario, so many people are struggling to get by. 

Renting your home should be a pathway to homeownership for those who wish to own a home. Everyone should be able to pay their rent, afford groceries for themselves and their families, live comfortably, and still have money left over to save. That’s not too much to ask. 

But right now, it’s not possible in Doug Ford’s Ontario; it’s not possible in Mark Carney’s Canada; it’s not possible in Josh Morgan’s London. Why? Because all three prioritize wealth and the interests of the wealthy above all else.  

The housing crisis that we find ourselves in today, both in London and across the province, is no accident. It’s entirely manufactured, all the way from its colonial roots to the greed -driven rent hikes and property hoarding that’s plaguing this city. 

This is a deeply intersectional issue. This is an issue of colonialism. This is an issue of capitalism. This is a disability rights issue, it’s a gendered issue, it’s an issue of class.  

Despite making up only 2.6 percent of London’s population, Indigenous people make up at least 30% of our neighbours sleeping on the street. Ensuring housing for all is our collective duty and key to the process of meaningful reconciliation.  

People with disabilities, people on OW or ODSP, are stuck in legislative poverty because the provincial government refuses to ensure that these programs are on par with today’s cost of living.  

No one should ever be unhoused, especially when corrupt developers like Farhi are just sitting on vacant property. 

We’re on stolen land to begin with; no corporation, no landlord, no developer, and certainly no fucking politician has the right to exploit it and, by extension, you and your families for profit.   

So, friends—it’s about time we take our city back.  

Take it back from the landlords and developers contributing nothing to our city but higher rents, empty buildings, and a lower quality of life. 

Take it back from the revolving door of bought-and-paid-for politicians that consistently choose money over you and me.  

It’s about time that we put people above profit for once.   

It’s about time that we pursue a per-unit vacancy tax on commercial properties. It’s about time we implement a comprehensive landlord licensing program and rental replacement bylaws. It’s about time that we come together and fight for housing for all. It’s about time we raise ODSP and OW, and that we stop reducing the amount that an individual can receive based on how much they can work or how much their spouse makes to bring people out of legislated poverty.  

It’s about time that we stand together in solidarity as we did on that cold March afternoon to demand better from our supposed leaders and to support each other throughout these trying times. We will get through this together; a better future for us all is on the horizon, but we need to continue to show up for each other and put in the work to ensure that our city works for the working class.