Toronto has second highest rate of evictions in Canada

Toronto has the second highest rate of evictions out of any Canadian city, according to a recent study from the University of British Columbia.

The study looked at the five-year eviction rate for various areas across the country and found that out of Canada’s three major cities, Toronto had the second highest rate of evictions at 5.8%.

Vancouver, which led the three, had nearly double the eviction rate with 10.5%. Montreal had the lowest, with a 4.2% eviction rate.

University of British Columbia

Interestingly, in Toronto, the eviction rates noticeably differed depending on the distance from the city centre. The study estimates that for households more than 20 km from the city centre, 21.5% of all moves were because of an eviction. For households 8-20 km from the city centre, the number of eviction-related moves drops to 8.6%. And for those within 8 km of the city centre, just 7.8% of moves were because of an eviction.

However, the study notes that the data is incomplete and that they cannot definitively say whether households further from the city centre are more likely to move because of an eviction.

The study also takes a look at what demographics are more likely to be evicted and found that across the country, Indigenous renters are at a higher risk of eviction. Households with higher shelter cost to income ratios or households who had received rental assistance at their previous residence were also much more likely to be evicted.