Ontario is in the midst of what many tenants and experts have referred to as an ongoing eviction crisis, and a new online resource tracks the thousands of virtual eviction hearings held by the Landlord Tenant Board in Toronto over the past few months.

According to EvictionsOntario, the new online map and tracker created by organized working class tenants in Toronto, the Ontario LTB held more than 13,000 eviction hearings in November, December and January alone. 

LTB djudicator Dale Whitmore has referred to the many hearings as a  "blitz," and experts have long warned that allowing these eviction hearings to continue throughout the pandemic would result in a homelessness crisis that is even more dire than the one with which we are already grappling. 

These are evictions in #Toronto just since NOVEMBER!
Does this look like a moratorium, @JohnTory @TorontosMayor @fordnation ?

Does this look like (corporate) landlords being nice ole understanding sweet folks?

NO. #NoCOVIDEvictions #EndCOVIDEvictions #ONPoli https://t.co/rWIJK2tGhb

— SURJ Toronto - Defund Toronto Police (@SURJto) February 3, 2021

But despite a provincial eviction enforcement suspension in place throughout the duration of Ontario's stay-at-home order, landlords can still seek eviction orders against tenants and hearings are still being held. 

And from Nov. 2 to Jan. 31, according to the resource, there were 3,500 scheduled Landlord Tenant Board hearings in Toronto. 

This is the eviction blitz in #Toronto.

➡️ https://t.co/X3NoAmAL3O pic.twitter.com/taiN0kzRNL

— Keep Your Rent Toronto (@KeepYourRent) February 3, 2021

"While some of these hearings were filed pre-pandemic, many of these hearings were used to order evictions against tenants who fell behind on rent during the COVID crisis," according to EvictionsOntario. 

The LTB does not not keep track of how many evictions it orders, nor does it record how many of those orders result in eviction enforcement, so Toronto tenants have taken matters into their own hands and done it themselves.  

The new website features a map of the 3,500 hearings, and it includes the names of landlords and/or property managers, as well as the exact addresses where tenants have had to face eviction hearings. 

The map is also colour-coded to indicate how many hearings have been held at each particular address, with light grey meaning one hearing, dark grey meaning two to five, black meaning six to 10 and red meaning 11 or more. 

At 9 Crescent Pl. in East York, for instance, property manager Pinedale Properties has filed 35 different LTB applications against tenants, while 24 eviction hearings were held at 40 Fountainhead Rd. thanks to property manger Ranee. 

According to Keep Your Rent Toronto, a tenant-run organization that helped create the new resource, over 90 per cent of LTB applications are brought on by landlords, the vast majorty for the reason of unpaid rent, and 70 per cent of LTB adjudicators were appointed by Premier Doug Ford. 

organized working-class tenants did this research and created this site.

mass evictions in toronto would be happening in secret if we were not doing this work.

check it out, learn, start organizing. https://t.co/UtJyHhF6i0

— no covid evictions. (@patersonmonday) February 3, 2021

The resource lists the landlords that had the highest number of eviction hearings in the GTA over the past three months, and it also contains testimonials from tenants who say they endured unfair treatment during their hearings as well as resources for tenants who are being evicted. 

Checkout https://t.co/yxSRiI93sx for the tenant account of the eviction hearings Nov-Jan. Biggest evictors expected: Medallion, Ranee, CAPREIT, Pinedale, Starlight, Metcap. But LL with the largest number of evictions is TCHC @JohnTory! THREAD (1/2) @FarahNasser @CP24 @6ixbuzztv pic.twitter.com/18UVbAVQB4

— Crescent Town Tenants Union (@CrescentUnion) February 3, 2021

Tenants facing eviction are also encouraged to add their details to the online COVID-19 eviction tracker — a separate resource created by tenant organizers last summer.