NDP MPP and Housing Critic Cheri DiNovo is tabling a Private Members’ Bill in legislature tackling tenant’s rights issues, including bed bugs.

One of the components of the proposed bill of rights for tenants is better landlord licensing guidelines.  The bill calls for rental units to be declared bed bug-free before a landlord’s rental license is renewed.

“The real answer to the growing bed bug problem is better tenant’s rights,” DiNovo said in a Queen’s Park press conference Thursday morning.

Edward Lantz, chair of the St. Jamestown chapter of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, echoed DiNovo’s statements at the conference, saying “we need new legislation that protects tenants and holds landlords accountable.”

DiNovo’s bill goes beyond holding landlords’ responsible for bed bug infestations. It also calls for better rent control and establishes greater protection and improved access to justice for tenants.