Series of rent strikes in Ontario against gentrification

The Hamilton rapper Lee Reed made an EP of 5 songs dedicated to the Hamilton Rent Strike with all proceeds going to the strike fund: The Steal City EP, by Lee Reed

There's also an old interview with Lee Reed and another Hamilton musician Mother Tareka on the gentrification of Hamilton: The Rebel Beat 078: Gentrification Kills Music (and everything else you love)

 

First issue of the Hamilton Tenant which covers going rent strikes and other struggles is out!
Included in this issue:

– Editorial: Welcome to the First Issue of Hamilton Tenant

– Feature Interviews: Voices of the East Hamilton Rent Strike

– Lessons from History: Rent Strikes Around the World

– Campaign Updates: The East Hamilton Rent Strike So Far

You can download a PDF version of the newsletter here.

EDITORIAL: WELCOME TO THE FIRST ISSUE OF HAMILTON TENANT
Welcome to the first issue of Hamilton Tenant: A newsletter by and for tenants in Hamilton. The goal of this newsletter is to share the stories of working-class tenants in Hamilton and inspire each other in our collective struggle for better conditions in our homes and our lives.

This issue will focus on tenant struggles in East Hamilton. As of September 2018, tenants from the Stoney Creek Towers are entering the fifth month of their rent strike against landlord InterRent REIT and property manager CLV Group, fighting against a big rent hike and for repairs.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this issue by writing articles, participating in interviews, drawing illustrations, and helping with design, printing, and distribution. Thank you to the Centre for Community-Engaged Narrative Arts (CCENA) at McMaster University for financial support.

We invite anyone interested in helping with future issues to attend our next editorial meeting on Monday, September 24, 2018 at 6pm at the Riverdale Community Centre (150 Violet Drive, Hamilton). You could write an article, talk about your experiences in an interview, submit artwork or photographs, etc.

For now, happy reading! We hope you enjoy this first issue of the newsletter and find it useful.