Toronto mayoral candidate Olivia Chow announced on Friday that, should she win a second term, she will establish a dedicated task force within the city’s RentSafeTO program. The unit would focus on identifying and pursuing landlords who neglect maintenance responsibilities and on addressing rental properties that fall below acceptable standards. Chow framed the proposal as a direct response to growing concerns about negligent landlords and substandard housing across the city.
The promised task force would operate under RentSafeTO, the municipal body that already handles tenant complaints and enforces housing standards. By creating a specialized team, Chow said the city could more efficiently target properties that pose health or safety risks and hold owners accountable for violations. The initiative is positioned as a concrete step toward improving the quality of rental housing and protecting tenants from exploitative practices.
Chow’s pledge comes as she campaigns for a second term in the 2026 municipal election. The mayoral race is heating up, and housing affordability and quality remain central issues for voters. By linking the task force to her re‑election, Chow is signaling that stronger enforcement of rental standards will be a priority of her administration.
While no specific budget or timeline was disclosed, the proposal underscores the city’s broader effort to address the rental crisis. RentSafeTO has previously handled complaints about unsafe conditions, but Chow’s plan calls for a more proactive, investigative approach aimed at landlords whose properties consistently fail inspections. If elected, the task force would add a new layer of oversight to complement existing enforcement mechanisms.
The announcement was made in a press release timed for the last week of September, a period when candidates are intensifying outreach to constituents. Chow’s focus on bad landlords aligns with her broader platform of improving living standards for Toronto’s renters and ensuring that private landlords meet the city’s regulatory expectations.
Should she secure a second term, the creation of the task force would become a formal component of the RentSafeTO framework, marking a shift toward more aggressive enforcement of housing standards in Toronto.