New name and a new website!

When this organization began one year ago, we were just 5 local tenants with a desire to do rights education and aid work in Oakwood Vaughan. We decided to call ourselves The Oakwood Vaughan Tenant Network in the style of other mutual aid networks that exist across Toronto. You may have seen or chatted with us in a local park or at the Afro-Caribbean Farmers Market.

Last fall we shifted focus to canvassing the neighbourhood and it has been very successful! Today we stand at 107 members with plenty of potential to grow. Along with all of these new members came the realization that we may be building something bigger than an aid network, something that would be better described as a tenant union.

After a membership vote, we are happy to announce that we will now be operating as the Oakwood Vaughan Tenant Union (OVTU). It’s a small change, but one that reflects our ambition to organize all tenants in this community to stand up for our shared interests. Individually, it can be difficult to fight back against an eviction notice, neglected repairs, or discrimination from your landlord, but with a community supporting you so much more is possible.

With the new name, we are also excited to announce our new website, ovtenantunion.ca! Here you can find lots of resources about your rights as tenants, as well as news, contact information for the OVTU, and a new member sign-up page.

Meeting you and hearing your stories while canvassing has been inspiring, and we look forward to growing and building more tenant power with you!