The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO) works to better the housing situation of Ontario residents who have low incomes including tenants, co-op members and people who are homeless. ACTO achieves this through:
- test case litigation;
- lobbying and law reform;
- housing policy work;
- community organizing; and,
- public legal education.
ACTO works with legal clinics, tenant associations and other groups and individuals concerned about housing issues. ACTO is funded by Legal Aid Ontario and has been in existence since September, 2001.
The Tenant Duty Counsel Program ("TDCP") is a program of ACTO. It provides information and limited legal assistance to eligible tenants appearing at the Landlord and Tenant Board.
This section of the ACTO web site is a private area provided for the benefit of duty counsel, and is only available in English.
If you are a tenant looking for information or assistance, please contact your local community legal clinic or go to Tenant Info.
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Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario & Tenant Duty Counsel Program
425 Adelaide Street West, 5th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 3C1
Tel: (416) 597-5855 • Toll Free: 1-866-245-4182 • Fax: (416) 597-5821
- ACTO marked our 10th Anniversary in November! We held a celebration together with the Income Security Advocacy Centre and over 100 of our friends. A lively panel discussion of the work of the two clinics and the future of housing and income security advocacy was followed by a reception and congratulations from our colleagues and supporters, including John McCamus, Chairman of the Board of Legal Aid Ontario. See our latest newsletter for a look back at the last decade in housing advocacy, as well as an update on the right to housing charter challenge.
- On January 1, 2012, the Housing Services Act, 2011 will come into force, replacing the Social Housing Reform Act, 2000. The new law governs social housing in Ontario, including rules related to rent geared to income assistance and the relationship among the province, municipalities and housing agencies.
- The Ontario government has proposed legislation that, if passed, will change the Residential Tenancies Act so the annual rent increase guideline will be no lower than 1 per cent and no higher than 2.5 per cent. Within these limits, the guideline will still be equal to the change in the Consumer Price Index. ACTO calls on the government to fix the law to better protect all tenants from unaffordable rent increases.
