Ontario Shortens the Clock for Tenants Landlords Say Owe Rent

A batch of changes to Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act comes into force Monday, including shorter deadlines for tenants whom landlords say have fallen behind on rent payments. Deadlines inside a dispute are not neutral housekeeping: shortening a tenant's window to answer an arrears claim hands the practical advantage to whoever files first, and a landlord is the one who files. It is one item in a wider package, and the one with the most immediate effect on a tenancy already in conflict.