Neighbourhood Legal Services

12/04/2025

We celebrated with a mixology contest - including the “Gin-ADMIN-Ger”, the “New Roots Spritz”, the “Broken Social Safety Net” and the “Landlord’s Special”. May you stay hydrated and find some dancing, art and camaraderie during these dark days! Happy holidays from all of us at NLS.

11/27/2025

At our AGM last week we were honoured to hear from four powerful panelists - Melanie Martin (Office of the Commissioner for Housing Equity), Mobafa Baker (Fred Victor), Gregory Keefe (St. Michael’s Hospital’s Academic Family Health Team), and Nancy Lin (Downtown East Ontario Health Team) - who helped us reflect on what it truly means to prevent evictions and support tenants with dignity.

We spoke about the legacy of Al Gosling and Justice LeSage’s call for a person-centred approach, the success of the OCHE model in reducing arrears-based evictions, and the urgent need for better connections to mental health and primary care - especially in a system where people often wait years for support.

Our speakers highlighted both the harm caused by fragmented, punitive processes and the hope offered by emerging models like social medicine at Dunn House, collaborative OHT partnerships, and past examples of coordinated discharge planning that kept people stably housed.

A huge thank you to our panelists and to everyone who came ready to engage, question, and imagine better pathways forward. The conversation affirmed what we all know: eviction prevention is health care, and housing stability requires collective action.

11/18/2025

Bill 60 is being pushed through Queen’s Park to be made into law next week, threatening our rights as tenants even with the removal of the most threatening proposals

The Bill still threatens to:

- Fast-track evictions by cutting tenant notice periods in half and hiring more “enforcement officers” to remove people from their homes faster.

- Block tenants from defending themselves — making it harder to raise issues like disrepair, harassment, or repeated AGIs during eviction hearings.

- Cut tenant appeal times from 30 days to 15.
- Eliminate compensation for tenants evicted for a landlord’s “own use” if given 4 months notice.

We are hosting a meeting through the Tenant Action Committee with a guest speaker from the York South-Weston Tenant Union. Carmen will be sharing their methods and successes with time for Q & A, so you can ask specific questions that can help in your organizing.

We will also be sharing protest actions happening on National Housing Day - Saturday November 22nd

⏰ Wednesday November 19th, 7pm
📍 Zoom

To register, click the link: https://tr.ee/nRJpiqMvBT

11/18/2025

Hope you can join us this Thursday evening for some great food & discussion. Reflecting on 15 years since Justice LeSage’s Inquiry into the death of Al Gosling, we will welcome a panel to discuss how integrating health and housing systems hold promise for preventing evictions into homelessness.

03/23/2025

03/05/2025

We are Hiring!

Neighbourhood Legal Services (NLS) is looking for an Income Security Paralegal or Lawyer to join our team! If you’re passionate about social justice and advocating for low-income communities, we want to hear from you.

Learn more & apply: https://www.nlstoronto.org/careers.html

Join us in making justice more accessible for everyone!

"Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice" - Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

02/06/2025

Application Form Links
​Membership: https://forms.gle/TzH653iC5jvZrqfY6
Board of Directors: ​https://forms.gle/81gBxb3peJdKRQK56

02/03/2025

12/03/2024

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDHo5YjuX0M/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

11/20/2024

📢 Introducing Fair Rent Ontario! 📢
Fair Rent Ontario is a diverse coalition sounding the alarm on unfair rents in Ontario by demanding a change to the rules around rent control.

Rents have climbed 55% in the past decade. 52% of Ontario renters live in unacceptable housing. Renters are on the brink and the province must help.

This crisis is driven by unfair rules like:
• The 2018 Rent Control Exemption, allowing unlimited rent increases in new units;
• Vacancy Decontrol, enabling major rent hikes once a tenant moves out; and
• Above Guideline Increases, permitting landlords to raise rents more than the limit.

These unfair rules drive cycles of economic evictions, renovictions, and displacements. All of it leaves renters with unstable homes and insecure futures. 😰 💸

✊ Fair Rent Ontario is here to demand change. We’re committed to winning full rent control across the province and we want you to be part of it!
🎉 Join Us for the Fair Rent Ontario Launch! 🎉
🗓 Nov. 26
⏰ 1:00PM – 2:30PM
🔹 Learn about Fair Rent Ontario and Rent Control
🔹 Hear from tenants, healthcare experts, community advocates, and policy specialists on the importance of rent control for all communities
🔹 Learn how you can support the movement for fair rent in Ontario
💪 Let’s unite for full rent control. It’s time for a future where all renters enjoy stable homes and secure futures!
🔗 Register Now: FairRentOntario.ca
📲 Stay connected in the movement for Full Rent Control – Follow us at

08/09/2024

The Board of Directors of Neighbourhood Legal Services (NLS) is currently seeking applications to fill four vacancies. To apply, you must be a member of the organization. For more info, please see: https://www.nlstoronto.org/notice-for-recruitment-of-directors.html

08/08/2024

July 26th 2024 marks two years since the Canadian government announced its intention to reform the laws that criminalize HIV non-disclosure in Canada at the 2022 International AIDS Conference in Montreal. People living with HIV have yet to see meaningful action, and they need your help to put pressure on government officials to fulfill the promises that they have made.

To mark the International AIDS Conference in Munich which took place in the week of July 22nd 2024, the Canadian Coalition to Reform HIV Criminalization has launched a campaign to highlight the voices of people living with HIV. On July 22nd, eleven video messages were sent from people living with HIV to Minister of Justice and Attorney General Arif Virani. You can send your own message to government officials through a template at the CCRHC website:

EN
https://www.hivcriminalization.ca/take-action-as-an-individual/

FR
https://www.criminalisationvih.ca/appel-aux-individus/

Link to share videos: https://www.hivcriminalization.ca/testimonials-canada-must-end-the-criminalization-of-people-living-with-hiv-now/