The simmering class war over basement apartments in Brampton
I once moved into an illegal basement apartment in Toronto for a newspaper series about working undercover as a maid. At $750 a month, it was the most affordable roach-free dwelling I could find. What`s more, it helped my landlord, himself a cleaner at the Four Seasons, pay his mortgage. Secondary suites are mutually beneficial for renters and homeowners. So I applaud the controversial new legislation that has finally legalized the subterranean world of basement apartments. The province-wide law, which took effect in January, overrides any municipal bylaws prohibiting them`bylaws that were typically passed due to residents` complaints about traffic congestion, overcrowded schools and, though less often vocalized, there-goes-the-neighbourhood fears.
The laws that regulate secondary units are confusing, thanks to some political flip-flopping over the past two decades. In 1994, the provincial NDP government under Bob Rae passed Bill 120, permitting second units in houses, regardless of local zoning laws. A year later, Mike Harris`s new Conservative government introduced Bill 20, restoring to municipalities the right to outlaw secondary suites. Brampton, the epitome of sprawl, quickly took advantage of Bill 20 and banned the apartments. Pre-existing units that had been built to code were grandfathered, but anything built after 1995 was deemed illegal. (Secondary suites, for the record, are legal in Toronto, where they constitute 20 per cent of the rental stock and tend to be 10 to 15 per cent cheaper than apartment building units.)
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