November 25, 2022
End Homelessness Now!
Everyone deserves a safe and decent place to live. People who are experiencing homelessness, advocates, and frontline workers have long been sounding the alarm that Toronto's shelter system is in... More
November 25, 2022
NDP Housing Critic calls for provincial plan to address homelessness crisis
QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP Housing critic Jessica Bell is calling on Doug Ford to create an urgent and concrete plan to address the homelessness crisis in Toronto. “Everyone deserves a safe and dec... More
November 24, 2022
Save Green Building Standards
Bill 23 makes Toronto’s ambitious climate change plan next to impossible to achieve. Emissions from buildings make up 61% of Toronto’s carbon emission. In an effort to do its part in combating cl... More
November 24, 2022
NDP MPPs urge government to restore rent control as housing crisis worsens
QUEEN’S PARK — NDP Housing critic Jessica Bell (University-Rosedale) and the MPP for Parkdale—High Park, Bhutila Karpoche, are urging the Ford government to pass their bill to restore rent control ... More
November 23, 2022
Bring back rent control
Rental prices across Ontario are shooting up. People are being forced to leave their communities because decent, affordable places are increasingly out of reach. The lack of rent control for units... More
November 22, 2022
Bill 23 leaves committee with some tweaks
On Monday, we went to committee to propose changes to Bill 23. Bill 23 is a pro-sprawl law that harms municipal budgets, farmland, the natural environment, and housing affordability. Ontario will ... More
November 21, 2022
Conservatives kill NDP motion calling for housing plan for Ontarians
New Democrats propose solutions to replace Ford’s gift to developers QUEEN’s PARK – The Ford government quashed an NDP Opposition Day motion Monday that would have urged the government to impleme... More
November 19, 2022
Bill 23 goes to clause-by-clause on Monday. Here's what's at stake.
Dear neighbor, As I write this I am in committee, listening to Ontarians speak to Bill 23. Bill 23 is a sweeping pro-developer law that threatens affordability, public services, democracy, and farm... More
November 19, 2022
Stop Ford's attack on democracy
The Ford government has introduced yet another bill that will bulldoze local decision-making. Doug Ford’s Bill 39, Better Municipal Governance Act, 2022 threatens democracy in our city by allowing... More
November 18, 2022
Community Recognition Awards Dinner
You're Invited! MPP Jessica Bell's Community Recognition Awards! To RSVP, fill out the form here! More
November 16, 2022
NDP MPPs urge government to pass their bill to prevent road accidents involving pedestrians
QUEEN'S PARK - -Ontario NDP MPPs Joel Harden (Ottawa Centre) and Doly Begum (Scarborough Southwest) are urging the Ford government to pass their bill, the Moving Ontario Safely Act, to prevent road... More
November 16, 2022
Ford’s latest bill an affront to democracy: NDP
QUEEN’S PARK – NDP Municipal Affairs critic Jeff Burch (Niagara Centre) and MPP Jessica Bell (University—Rosedale) released the following statement in response to the Minister of Municipal Affairs ... More
November 10, 2022
NDP calls for investigation into Landlord Tenant Board prioritizing applications for above-guideline rent increases
QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario NDP critic for the Attorney General Kristyn Wong-Tam and Housing critic Jessica Bell are calling for an investigation into reports that the Landlord Tenant Board (LTB) has be... More
November 8, 2022
Join our End of Year Party!
Join me, staff, neighbours, and residents at our end of year party to celebrate the year and enjoy the holiday season together. More
November 2, 2022
Ford’s housing bill threatens renter protections and affordable rentals
TORONTO — NDP Housing critic Jessica Bell (University-Rosedale) is urging the Ford government to stop its threats to renter protections and to affordable rental housing in Ontario.At a press confer... More
November 2, 2022
Bill 26, Strengthening Post-secondary Institutions and Students Act
Sexual harassment and sexual violence is a far too common and brutal feature of the university experience, especially for women, non-binary, trans and gender-diverse folks. It can happen in many fo... More
November 1, 2022
Protect renters. Save affordable homes.
Under the More Homes Built Faster Act Bill 23, renters living in purpose-built rentals are at serious risk of eviction. Section 111 of the City of Toronto Act has saved more than 2,000 units of ... More
November 1, 2022
Annex Community Tenant Lunch December 3
FYI - The date of our event has changed from November 20 to December 3. Apologies for any inconvenience. All are welcome! Use the form below to add your RSVP! More
October 27, 2022
Here's what you need to know about Ford's Housing Bill 23
The Government's Housing Bill 23 is a sweeping bill that affects the housing and building sector, renters, conservation authorities, development charges, municipal budgets, consumer protections, an... More
October 26, 2022
Register to join our roundtable on Bill 23
On Tuesday, the Ford government introduced Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster. Bill 23 is a sweeping bill that includes a host of legislative and regulatory changes that impact the entire housing sec... More
October 26, 2022
Government housing bill takes aim at renters and affordable housing
QUEEN'S PARK — Ontario NDP Housing critic Jessica Bell issued the following statement in response to the Ford government’s announcement on housing reform: “In every part of Ontario, people are deal... More
October 18, 2022
Register to join our town hall on the crisis in health care
Ontario Health data shows the average wait for hospital admission has grown to nearly 21 hours. Recent data also showed that 1,417 Ontarians died waiting for surgery over the last year. Hospitals ... More
October 14, 2022
Roundtable for condo dwellers November 10
In December 2020, the Auditor General found the condo sector to be poorly regulated with inadequate regulation and oversight over condo program managers and condo boards. In the nearly two years s... More
September 29, 2022
NDP slams Ford govt for delaying housing people can afford
Conservatives stand in the way of inclusionary zoning proceeding in Toronto TORONTO – On Thursday, the Ontario NDP Housing critic MPP Jessica Bell slammed the Ontario government for delaying afford... More
September 28, 2022
Help Toronto build more affordable homes
Last year, City Council adopted an inclusionary zoning policy framework to get more affordable housing built across Toronto. The framework makes it mandatory for new developments near transit sta... More
September 27, 2022
With welfare diet complete, I renew my call to double social assistance
I have now completed my two week social assistance diet, where I spent $47.60 a week on groceries and toiletries to call on the Ontario government to double social assistance rates. I still had so... More
September 16, 2022
Here's what it's like to run a food bank in 2022
This is what it’s like to run a Food Bank in 2022 This week, I interviewed Shauna Harris, the executive director of Spadina Fort York Community Care Program to better understand how food insecurit... More
September 16, 2022
NDP push to double rates won’t end after two-week ‘social assistance diet’
QUEEN’S PARK — NDP MPPs pledged to keep the pressure on the Ford government to double social assistance rates as they reflect on a two-week initiative to bring urgent focus to the paltry rates of O... More
September 15, 2022
When will affordable housing be built in Toronto?
This month, I criticized the Ford government for delaying the construction of affordable housing in Toronto in Question Period. The government has not approved any of the 104 inclusionary zoning ar... More
September 9, 2022