Ramalingam Sethu, 66, says he has lived in illegal rooming houses for the past 23 years because that’s all he can afford on his limited income. Councillor Jim Karygiannis is open to the idea of rigidly controlled rooming houses, with tough penalties for ones that operate outside the law. “I have no problem with rooming houses, but we need to have stiff penalties,” he said, adding that illegal rooming houses should face fines upwards of $200,000 Constituents in Karygiannis’s Scarborough-Agincourt ward unanimously rejected allowing rooming houses there in a survey last year. Anti-poverty activist, John Stapleton said Guo’s death adds credence to the argument that rooming houses should be registered or licensed. Perks said keeping rooming houses illegal has forced landlords to operate in the shadows, opening the door to subpar living conditions.

Source: thestar February 12, 2019 15:00 UTC