Dysfunction at the LTB Ontario landlords seeking justice may have to wait a little longer It’s been a long, weary road to resolution for landlords and tenants caught in the evictions backlog that was exacerbated in 2020 when the pandemic forced the Landlord Tenant Board (LTB) into a five-month hiatus. Though online hearings have since resumed via the Tribunals Ontario Portal, technical difficulties, prolonged waits, and complaints of biases abound.
“O
ur paralegals are frustrated with the process, so I expect landlords are too,” says Joe Hoffer, a lawyer and partner with Cohen Highley LLP. “I think of the opening of Dickens’ novel Bleak House where the inscription outside the courthouse door reads, “Suffer any wrong that can be done 18 | Canadian Apartment | Part of the REMI Network |
you rather than come here!” because the delays, the cost, and the dysfunction result in daily miscarriages of justice for both landlords and tenants.” Hoffer isn’t alone in his exasperation with the LTB, where problems have persisted for years. In fact, the sluggish pace of
proceedings became the subject of an investigation by Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé before the State of Emergency was declared. According to his 2019-2020 annual report, Tribunals Ontario ranked fourth for most prevalent topic of complaint — and tellingly, 74 per cent of the 1,051 complaints
