Mission Statement

We lead towards positive structural change for tenants in rental housing on every level. We provide education, information and a safe environment for tenants to network and work collectively to influence decision makers. 
 

About Us

Unique in Ottawa and Ontario, the first annual Ottawa Tenants Conference (OTC) took place in 2007. The OTC’s organizers include organizers from local community clinics, tenant advocates, housing loss networks, community developers, and tenants. 

Open to Ottawans in private or social rental housing, the conference aims to balance a range of concerns to tenants and provide space for tenants to discuss common issues. 
Participants receive a Tenant’s Kit that contains key information about housing issues and where to access resources in the community. 

With legal services available throughout the conference, workshops provide an opportunity for smaller group discussions and networking. Themes may include maintenance, rent increases, evictions, the Residential Tenancies Act and the Human Rights Code.   
 

Our vision for tenant-led solutions

We envision life in a city where tenants receive fair and equal treatment and landlord-tenant disputes are obsolete. As practitioners in this area, we believe there is a systemic power imbalance between landlords and tenants. This leads to injustice like discrimination against tenants, instability, higher rents, overcrowding and worsening living conditions. These issues marginalize tenants from funding and policy decisions that have an impact on their daily lives. 

We believe everyone deserves to have a say in the decisions that affect their lives, and as key players, tenants must lead the transformation in developing policy and solutions.
 We envision rental communities where tenants live in adequate, affordable, safe housing, free from anxiety, oppression, and discrimination. Through education, support and sharing of best practices, we seek to strengthen tenants’ voices to win housing improvements and develop positive, healthy communities.

The Goals of the Ottawa Tenants Conference

The goal of the Ottawa Tenants Conference is to address the imbalance of power that exists between landlords and tenants by providing a safe environment to engage tenants in dialogue. We strive to reduce the isolation tenants experience in dealing with their housing problems by bringing them together collectively and empowering them to advocate for themselves. We provide education to tenants about structural legislation and systemic policy so they have a better understanding of the broader guiding principles and the decisions at a higher level that impact on their lives.

How We Achieve these Goals

• Provide tenants with the tools and information they need to address individual housing problems and help them organize to address broader housing issues.
• Identify best practices of other tenants/ tenant associations
• Assist tenants in building networks and alliances with other tenants and allies.
• Identify gaps in services that could enhance the quality of life for tenants in Ottawa.

Outcomes

• Tenants are better informed about legislation and services
• Decrease in illegal evictions, rent increases, and other violations as tenants learn to enforce their rights
• Tenants have a greater awareness of the structural issues affecting their tenancies
• Tenants learn how to resolve problems with unresponsive landlords
• Tenants learn to work collectively in the community as they bring their knowledge and experience to other tenants.