There is almost a complete media blackout on the eviction crisis currently tearing this city apart.

Right now there are online eviction hearings THAT ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC in which landlords have been granted payment of rent arrears from already-dead tenants.

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Adjudicators are repeatedly referring to these hearing as an "eviction blitz" and "express eviction hearings". There are adjudicators that are presiding over hearings in which the law firm the adjudicator currently works for is representing the landlord.

Tenants are having their wages calculated by adjudicators who then order tenants to pay back rent that exceeds that monthly calculation by hundreds of dollars for a whole year + a day-late-dollar-short / no-hearing eviction in anticipation of the tenants eventual failure to pay.

Landlords are being awarded "consent orders" without the tenant even being present for the hearing. Hearings are being put on hold for the arrival of a landlord's legal rep while hearings are being carried out without tenants having even been notified of a hearing at all.

The horrifying things happening in plain sight during these hearings is endless. Because there are literally thousands of them being pushed through right now.

And yet if you turn on the news, you'd think the most important thing happening in our city is people being dicks about wearing masks, a potential toilet paper shortage, and some BBQ spot in Etobicoke???

Beyond the hearings blackout there is also a total avoidance by press to cover the actions being taken by tenants facing mass evictions.

The constant and escalating presence of Toronto police in any matters involving tenants and landlords doesn't exist to the media.

The illegal eviction of tenants from their homes by armed police in the middle of the night isn't newsworthy.

It's past time that pressure is put directly on the media to cover this crisis. It's time this evictions blackout ends.