With all the layoffs and economic turmoil that the health crisis has brought, rental evictions have been a hot topic over recent weeks, especially as Ontario moved to enact Bill 184, a piece of legislation that will allow eviction orders to proceed.

Many are particularly worried now that the Landlord Tenant Board (LTB) will begin working through its backlog of pending eviction orders after four and a half months, starting Saturday.

Ontario is ending the COVID-19 related ban on residential evictions. Effective Saturday, the Landlord and Tenant Board can begin to issue eviction orders that are pending. #onpoli

— CBC News Alerts (@CBCAlerts) July 30, 2020

Premier Doug Ford put a moratorium on residential evictions provincewide back in March because many people found themselves suddenly out of work amid pandemic lockdown, and in June he did the same for small businesses struggling to make rent.

But, with much of the province now in Stage 3 of reopening, that ban has since expired, though advocates have been calling for an extension, especially with the many examples of completely dickish behaviour by Toronto landlords lately despite the health crisis.

In a recent survey by the Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations, more than one fifth of renters in the city had said they were still threatened with eviction despite the extenuating circumstances.

People have also been continuing to protest Bill 184, storming Toronto Mayor John Tory's home and press conferences to demand that a stay on evictions remain for now.

Doug Ford promised tenants across Ontario that they'd be kept safe. HE LIED. Evictions are set to start again on Aug 1, while many people are still out of work or only just went back.

How they hell are they supposed be caught up on rent already?! #onpoli #bill184 #COVID19

— Dr. Jill Andrew (@JILLSLASTWORD) July 16, 2020

Meanwhile, experts are noting an ever-growing wealth gap between property owners and renters in Canada, especially in cities like Toronto, where the housing market is notoriously hot (even amid a global pandemic) and rentals have been historically overpriced and only going up.