About 100 households in East York have reached an agreement with landlord Starlight Investments, seeminglyending a lengthy public battle that saw a large group of working-class tenants withhold rent from Canada’s largest private landlord for two years.
Both Starlight Investments and the tenantstold the Star they reached an “amicable agreement” with confidential terms, and that residents are no longer on rent strike.
Neither the landlord nor the tenants confirmed to the Star that the agreement would void the landlord’seviction applications.
Ƿɱ𱹱,tenants previously expressed their willingness to pay arrears if an agreement was reached, and the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) typically allows tenants to void nonpayment of rent evictions by paying outstanding rent.
The group of tenants at 71, 75 and 79 Thorncliffe Park Dr.had been organizing demonstrations since 2022, and in May 2023 stopped paying rent toprotest what they said were maintenance issues, disruptive renovations and rent hikes beyond the provincial guideline for rent-controlled apartments — issues they say arose after Starlight Investments purchased their buildings in 2019.
Starlight had said the above-guideline increases (AGIs) were necessary to cover improvements to the building and that it aimed to make the renovations fast to minimize the impact on residents.
Renters at a trio of Thorncliffe Park buildings want the case heard at the Divisional Court.
A few months after the rent strike started,theLTB ordered tenants to pay rent in trust to the board.
While the board later ordered the parties to try to reach a settlement, tenants saidtalks broke down this March over an 11th-hour clause they said forbid them from making disparaging claims“that would be likely to harm, demean, or negatively affect” the landlord.
Tenants previously told the Star they feared such a clause would “silence” them if future issues were to arise, but theyfound all the other terms of the agreement acceptable.
After settlement talks broke down, theLTB held group eviction hearings in June.
Starlight Investments filed 15 eviction applications per 100 units each year, while chain owned
As of Wednesday, the combined eviction matters are set to be scheduled for a further hearing, an LTB spokesperson told the Star.
In an email to the Star, Penny Colomvakos, Starlight’s senior vice-president of residential operations and communications, said the company “believes in fostering strong resident relationships through open communication and professional integrity.
“As a leading developer and multi-family property owner, we continuously invest in our properties to ensure they remain safe, welcoming homes for our residents,” Colomvakos said. “We remain deeply committed to increasing and preserving Canada’s purpose-built rental housing supply.”
Starlight Investments is Canada’s largest private landlord, owning about 54,000 suites in Canada, including about 1,200 units it has built.
Tenant organizer Phil Zigman, who does not live in Thorncliffe Park but has supported the renters’ advocacy, said he suspects tenants’ ongoing protests motivated Starlight to resolve the dispute before the LTB came to a decision.
Tenants at the Summerhill used to have two water shutdowns per year. In 2025 alone, there have
”(Tenants) have been pretty consistent in terms of their protests and actions and bringing a lot of attention to Starlight’s business practices and PSP’s involvement,” he said, referring to Starlight’s partnership with Public Sector Pension Investments. “Obviously, that put pressure on Starlight.”
He believes the organizing experience that tenants gained throughout the rent strike will also help ensure they have suitable conditions in their homes in the future.
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