Ontario city cracking down on slum landlords who ruin neighbourhoods [Video]

The mayor of an Ontario city struggling with rental and renovation problems says the rollout of a strict new landlord licensing pilot scheme has been a “resounding success” in the parts of the city it has been applied, just under half a year after it was launched.

Early in the year, Brampton launched — and then after backlash, relaunched — a program to make small landlords in some of the city’s wards obtain business licences and agree to enhanced scrutiny.

The city’s Residential Rental Licensing pilot program makes landlords of between one and four units sign up for licences and submit to inspections.

As of Sept. 16, Brampton said 2,200 licences have been issued in the city and 4,700 inspections have taken place. Those inspections have been 611 penalties handed out, with fines totalling $83,500.

Coun. Rowena Santos, who has been a key champion of the program, said it was targeted at bad actors.

“This work we have been doing on the …