多年来，安省一直在实行加国最偏袒租客的租赁制度之一。保护租客固然重要，尤其是在住房负担能力已显危机的省份，但这租赁制度对租客的保护和偏袒得过头，因而导致了意想不到的严重后果。最近在省议会通过的第60号法案则是期待已久的必要修正。
For years, Ontario has operated one of the most tenant-friendly rental systems in the country. Protecting renters is important—especially in a province where housing affordability has become a crisis—but the system gradually drifted so far in one direction that it created serious unintended consequences. Bill 60, recently passed in the legislature, represents a long-needed correction.
对60号法案批评最激烈者称其为“反租客”政策。但任何了解现行制度运作的人都知道，这种指控具有误导性。问题不在于偏袒哪一方，而要让一个长期失衡、对个体房东及整个租赁市场都造成伤害的制度重建公平和平衡。
The fiercest critics of Bill 60 describe it as “anti-tenant.” But anyone who has spent time observing how the current system works knows this label is misleading. The issue is not about choosing sides; it is about restoring balance and fairness to a process that has been failing both landlords and the broader rental market.
多年来，一个突出的问题始终未得到解决，即一旦租客停止付租，要将其驱逐几乎难上加难。理论上，拖欠租金的租客当然应当享有正当程序，也需要一定时间来筹措资金。但在现实中，制度的效率低下、积案严重，使得拖欠租金的案件往往拖上数月。有些深知系统漏洞的租客会趁火打劫，利用制度的拖延而盘剥房东。
One problem has stood out for years: the extreme difficulty of removing a tenant who has stopped paying rent. In theory, tenants who fall behind deserve due process and time to recover. In practice, the system has been so slow and backlogged that non-payment cases often stretch for months. Some tenants, fully aware of these delays, have learned how to take advantage of them.
我就在2017年亲眼目睹了在我的邻居身上发生的一桩类似案件。租客彻底停止付租，房东向房东与租客委员会（LTB）提出申诉，本以为能够尽快解决，然而，听证程序竟一拖就是整整一年。在这期间，租客一分钱都没付。等到最终的驱逐令下达时，房东已损失大约三万加元，这笔钱房东根本无力讨回。
A striking example unfolded in my neighbourhood in 2017. A tenant stopped paying rent entirely. The landlord filed a case with the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), expecting a timely resolution. Instead, the hearing process dragged on for a full year. During that time, the tenant paid nothing. By the time the eviction order was finally issued, the landlord had lost roughly $30,000—a loss that would never be recovered.
这个案例绝非偶然。许多那些只拥有一套地下室单位或公寓单位的小房东在这样的制度下苦苦支撑：即便数月收不到租金，他们仍必须继续支付房贷、水电费和物业税。显然，不良租客可受到不合理制度保护，而房东却要独自承担全部的财务风险。
This story is far from unique. Many small landlords—people who own one basement suite or a single condo—struggled under a system that required them to continue paying mortgages, utilities, and taxes for many months while receiving no rent at all. The message was clear: irresponsible tenants could rely on the system for protection, while landlords bore all the financial risk.
第60号法案针对这些问题提供了稳妥、务实的解决方案，它缩短了房东在处理拖欠租金案件前必须等待的时间，堵住了常常导致无谓拖延的程序漏洞，并简化了听证流程，使案件不再被无限期搁置。法案还规定，只要房东提前更久通知租客其将因自住而收回房屋，便无需再支付一个月的补偿金。这些改革并未削弱对租客的保护；而是惩罚那些企图利用制度漏洞而牟利的租客。
Bill 60 addresses these issues in practical, measured ways. It shortens the time landlords must wait before moving forward with non-payment cases, closes procedural loopholes that often cause unnecessary delays, and streamlines hearings so cases do not languish indefinitely. It also removes the requirement for landlords to pay a month’s compensation when reclaiming a property for personal use, provided they give more notice. None of these reforms remove tenant protections. What they remove is the ability to exploit the system.
安省的大多数房东并非大型企业主，而往往是那些依靠房租补贴收入的退休人士、为应付不断上涨的住房成本而出租地下室的普通家庭，或是努力建立财务基础的新移民。当租客拒绝付租时，他们则必须直接承担损失。对这些房东而言，哪怕只是一两个月的租金缺口都给他们的经济状况造成很大压力，更不要说拖欠长达一年之久，其足以使他们的财务状况彻底崩溃。
Most landlords in Ontario are not large corporations. They are retirees supplementing their income, families renting out a basement to manage rising housing costs, or immigrants working hard to build financial stability. When a tenant refuses to pay, these landlords absorb the loss directly. For them, even a single month of missed rent is stressful. Twelve months can be financially devastating.
一个公平的住房制度既要保护租客免受不良房东的欺凌，也要保护房东免受租客的恶意伤害。第60号法案并不是在让租赁制度失衡，而是在纠正一项已经失衡，且难以为继的制度。按时交租租客仍将享有充分的保障，但那些拒付租金或滥用系统漏洞而故意拖欠房租者也别想再随心所欲。
A fair housing system must protect tenants from bad-faith landlords—but it must also protect landlords from bad-faith tenants. Bill 60 does not tip the balance; it simply corrects an imbalance that had grown untenable. Responsible tenants will continue to enjoy strong protections. But those who skip rent or abuse procedural delays will no longer find the system so easy to manipulate.
如果安省希望拥有一个更稳健、更可持续的房屋租赁市场，恢复管理制度的公平性至关重要。第60号法案正是迈向这一目标的重要一步。
If Ontario wants a stronger, more stable rental market, restoring fairness is essential. Bill 60 is an important step toward that goal.
