A report on student rentals taking over west Windsor neighbourhoods doesn't go far enough, according to Ward 2 Councillor Fabio Costante.
The report going before council Monday is in response to issues around safety that have been debated by council as far back as 2017. Costante says it ignores suggestions that rental properties should be licensed and regularly inspected for fire and building code violations.
"What standard of housing do we want in our community and don't we want a community that has a safe standard of housing that's compliant with building and fire code," says Costante, who adds homes designed to accommodate a family are being stuffed with 10 to 15 people.
He says the need for a better framework isn't an attack on responsible boarding home owners.
"There are those who rent out their dwelling units illegally, whether they're not up to building or fire code and they're taking advantage of the market right now in a way that is putting tenant safety at risk," he added.
According to the report, putting a framework in place that shuts down boarding homes could cause a housing shortage.
Costante says that's not a valid reason to ignore they're out there.
"It's not enough for me to say, well, if you impose this regulatory framework it may impact some supply of housing because we're basically going to crack down on the illegal dwelling units," he says.
Costante says the report doesn't offer any clear solutions to an issue that's been getting worse year after year.
According to the report, human rights issues would make proactive enforcement a challenge.
City council's livestream gets underway Monday at 11 a.m.
— with files from The Dan MacDonald Show.