Toronto Metropolitan University · Government of Canada Research and Knowledge Initiative

PUBLIC RESEARCH REPORT

Navigating Transformation

The Future of Rental Housing in an Era of Transit Investment

This report presents findings from a 14-year study of housing insecurity and displacement pressure in Toronto’s multi-family primary rental market. Drawing on more than 242,000 eviction filings, property and ownership records, available rent data, transit and spatial analysis, and 24 tenant interviews, the study examines how transit investment intersects with landlord ownership and management, eviction pressure, rent growth, and neighbourhood change across Toronto and in five study-area communities.

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ABOUT THE STUDY

This study examines how transit investment intersects with housing insecurity and displacement pressure in Toronto’s multi-family primary rental market. It brings together more than 242,000 eviction filings, property and ownership records, available rent data, transit and spatial analysis, and 24 tenant interviews to trace how landlord ownership and management, eviction pressure, rent growth, and neighbourhood change unfolded across Toronto between 2010 and 2023. The analysis focuses on five communities shaped by major transit investment and long-standing rental housing pressures: Little Jamaica, Jane–Finch, Weston–Finch, Weston, and North Albion–Rexdale. By connecting citywide patterns with property-level evidence and tenant experiences, the report shows that transit does not produce displacement on its own. Its effects depend on the ownership structures, tenant protections, housing conditions, and policy choices already shaping neighbourhood change.

À PROPOS DE L’ÉTUDE

Cette étude examine la manière dont les investissements dans le transport collectif recoupent l’insécurité résidentielle et les pressions de déplacement dans le marché locatif primaire des immeubles multifamiliaux de Toronto. Elle réunit plus de 242 000 demandes d’expulsion, des données sur les immeubles et leur propriété, les données disponibles sur les loyers, des analyses du transport collectif et des dynamiques spatiales, ainsi que 24 entrevues menées auprès de locataires. L’étude retrace ainsi l’évolution des structures de propriété et des pratiques de gestion, des pressions liées aux expulsions, de la croissance des loyers et des transformations des quartiers de Toronto entre 2010 et 2023. L’analyse porte sur cinq communautés marquées par d’importants investissements dans le transport collectif et par des pressions persistantes sur le logement locatif : Little Jamaica, Jane–Finch, Weston–Finch, Weston et North Albion–Rexdale. En reliant les tendances observées à l’échelle de la ville aux données sur les immeubles et aux expériences des locataires, le rapport montre que les investissements dans le transport collectif ne produisent pas, à eux seuls, le déplacement. Leurs effets dépendent des structures de propriété, des protections accordées aux locataires, des conditions de logement et des choix politiques qui façonnent déjà la transformation des quartiers.

KEY FINDINGS

4 of 5

study areas recorded eviction filing rates above Toronto’s primary rental market average of 4.6 filings per 100 units

9.6 / 9.5

filings per 100 units in Weston and Jane–Finch, the highest rates among the five study areas

5.9%–7.7%

compound annual growth in average effective rents on new leases across the five study areas, 2013–2023

7 of 10

properties with the highest eviction filing rates were located in Black renter-majority areas

EXPLORE THE REPORT

Evictions & Ownership

Explore how landlord type, property size, ownership change, and neighbourhood conditions shape eviction filing patterns.

Transit, Rents & Change

Examine how transit investment intersects with rent growth, displacement pressure, and neighbourhood change across the five study areas.

Tenant Experiences & Policy

Learn how tenants experience housing insecurity before displacement and what governments can do to protect housing stability.

PUBLICATIONS & RESOURCES

Full Report

Read the complete report, including the statistical analysis, neighbourhood findings, tenant interviews, maps, tables, and policy recommendations.

Executive Summary

Review the report’s central findings, major statistical results, and recommendations for governments, housing institutions, and tenant protection.

Related Research

Explore related publications examining housing financialization, eviction, racialized housing insecurity, transit investment, and neighbourhood change.

PROJECT TEAM

Dr. Nemoy Lewis

Principal Investigator and Report Author

Richard Maaranen

Research Manager and Statistical Analyst

Dimitri Panou

Research Coordinator and Data Analyst

FUNDING AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

FUNDING

Federal support for this research was provided through Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada’s Research and Knowledge Initiative, together with matching support from Toronto Metropolitan University.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We gratefully acknowledge the City of Toronto Housing Secretariat, the City Planning Division, the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data team, and the community and tenant organizations that supported this research. We also thank the public servants, policy practitioners, Toronto Metropolitan University staff and colleagues, and, above all, the research participants whose knowledge, experiences, and insights shaped the study.