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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ly 21 ,2 02 2 | 8 oakville.ca Notice of Passing of Development Charges By-Law 2022-068 Wednesday, July 13, 2022 The Town of Oakville Council passed By-law 2022-068 on July 12, 2022, under Section 2 of the Development Charges Act, 1997 to establish development charges generally within the town for the following: services related to a highway, fire protection, transit, parks and recreation, by-law enforcement, library, and growth studies. By-law 2022-068 came into effect on July 13, 2022. Any person or organization may appeal this by-law to the Ontario Land Tribunal under Section 14 of the Act by filing a notice of appeal, setting out the objection to the by-law and reasons supporting the objection, with the Town Clerk at TownClerk@oakville.ca or 905- 815-6015, no later than August 21, 2022. A copy of the appeal form is available from the Ontario Land Tribunal, to be accompanied with a certified cheque or money order in the amount of $1,100 payable to the Minister of Finance. NOTE: if the person or organization appealing the by-laws is a private citizen, a registered charity or a non-profit ratepayers' association the fee is $400 if an Appeal Fee Reduction Request Form (also available from the Ontario Land Tribunal) is submitted at the time of filing the appeal with the Town Clerk. If the Appeal Fee Reduction Request is not accepted by the Ontario Land Tribunal, the balance of $700 will be charged to the person or organization appealing the by-law. Development Charges By-law 2022-068 applies to all lands within the Town of Oakville and as such a key map is not provided for the purpose of this notice. Development Charges By-law 2022-068 and relevant background material is available for review on the Development Charges By-law page. NOWOPEN Higher borrowing costs and home prices are push- ing people out of the hous- ing market, leaving them with little choice but to rent. That's putting strain on the rental market, caus- ing average rents to climb higher. According to the June 2022 Rent Report issued by Rentals.ca, a one-bedroom apartment in Toronto, Bur- lington or Etobicoke will now set you back an aver- age of more than $1,900. In May, the average rental price for all Canadi- an properties -- including apartments, townhouses and condos -- listed on Rentals.ca was $1,888, re- presenting a 10.5 per cent year-over-year increase and the largest monthly in- crease in two years. So, what can you do if your landlord tells you your rent is going up? According to Jordann Brown, content manager and spokesperson for Zolo, a Canadian real estate mar- ketplace, the first step is to make sure it's legal. "That means checking that the amount of the rent- al increase isn't over the al- lowable limit for your prop- erty and ensuring they are following the required pro- tocols for raising your rent," says Brown. For 2022, Ontario's maxi- mum allowable rent in- crease for units covered by the Residential Tenancies Act is set at 1.2 per cent. That doesn't apply to units in buildings occupied for the first time after Nov. 15, 2018, or social housing units. Landlords can apply to raise rents higher, but they have to meet specific re- quirements and get ap- proval from the Landlord and Tenant Board. In Ontario, if your land- lord gets an "above guide- line increase" approved, they still have to wait 12 months between increases and provide at least 90 days' written notice. "If the rental increase violates any rules set out by your province's residen- tial tenancies board, you can appeal the increase," Brown says. She cautions that while the process of appealing the increase can take some time, you won't have to pay the increase if your landlord is in the wrong. If your landlord has in- creased your rent lawfully, you can always try to nego- tiate with them. Brown suggests you offer a por- tion of the increase and re- mind them that you are a model tenant. I'VE JUST FOUND OUT MY RENT IS INCREASING. WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS? SRIVINDHYA KOLLURU MONEY MATTERS THE FIRST STEP? MAKE SURE IT'S LEGAL, EXPERTS SAY According to the June 2022 Rentals.ca report, a one-bedroom apartment in Toronto may set you back an average of more than $1,900. R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star file photo