The days of the "mom-and-pop" landlord are largely behind us. Now, housing units are being snapped up or developed by large corporate entities and private equity firms. It can be hard to figure out who  actually owns a building. Homes being treated like major sources of capital, instead of places for people to live.

This is a major factor in the housing crisis, pushes people who are renting out of their homes and neighbourhoods, and changes the physical and social fabric of communities.

Erika Sagert, policy manager for the BC Non-Profit Housing Association, has been trying to identify just how many people are affected by this financialization of housing:

"It's really hard to be a renter in Canada. The numbers, in terms of sheer volume, really stand out. We talk a lot about proportion, so we're looking at one third of renter households in Canada are spending more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities. The number that stands out to me is 1.6 million rental households."

When it comes to the types of private equity shaping the rental market, and their effect on Black and other marginalized communities, Toronto Metropolitan University's Dr. Nemoy Lewis and research assistant Dimitri Panou have been tracking just that. As Dr. Lewis says:

"When we think about the term 'displacement,' it gives us the idea that we can just go down the street and move into the next apartment. But that next apartment might be owned by... a different financialized landlord who are also engaged in the same practice. So, as such, these landlords are causing folks to be expelled and banished from major urban centres."

Finally, Cloé St-Hilaire, PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo, is researching financialized rentals in Montreal, who owns what, and who is impacted the most:

"We saw there was a strong positive correlation between the percentage of financialized landlords and the percentage of households that were living in high-density areas, and there was also a strong correlation with renters' housing stress. So the more the renters were housing-stressed in the census tract, the more there was a propensity of having financialized landlords."

What do we do when big capital has taken over the landlord business?

The Overhead: The Financialization of a Housing Crisis

A stutter, a loop, a strut, a dark night trying to start.

Idle

Spacing and Evergreen proudly present The Future Fix: Solutions for Communities Across Canada, a special podcast series.

In our first episode, we explore the unique relationship between the town of Innisfil, Ontario, and the controversial ride-hailing company Uber.

Jason Reynar, the town's chief administrative officer, explains this relationship, and how it has changed transit choices for the people there.

The Future Fix is a partnership between Spacing and Evergreen for the Community Solutions Network: a program of Future Cities Canada.

As the program lead, Evergreen is working with Open North and partners to help communities of all sizes across Canada navigate the smart cities landscape.

The Community Solutions Network is supported with funding provided by Infrastructure Canada.

The Future Fix: Uber to Innisfil

We begin this month by tuning in to the Special Committee on Governance, which was created to find ways to adjust to the changes imposed on Toronto City Council in the middle of last year's election.

We catch up with journalist and Walkcast creator Tim Querengesser, as he explains the "MacKinnon Report" — a long list of recommendations commissioned by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's United Conservative Party, which may mean belt-tightening for cities and towns in that province.

Chief Commissioner Renu Mandhane explains the Ontario Human Rights Commission's new policies regarding racial profiling in law enforcement, the collection of racial statistic in police stops, and even guidelines on artificial intelligence.

And Don Eady, lawyer and partner at Palaire Roland Barristers, helps explain the recent legal decisions regarding Toronto's legal challenge against Bill 5 and the slashing of local wards.

Episode 039: How I Spent Doug Ford's Summer Vacation

Grudges, Debates, and the Democratic Wheels

Council

Trot

A very NSFW peek behind the scenes of recording a podcast. Music by TrackEightyTwo (check his SoundCloud for more fine music).

The Struggle (Podcasting)

Spacing Radio is the voice of Spacing, Canada's leading publication on urbanism. 

The Overhead: The Financialization of a Housing Crisis

Spacing Radio

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