Canada’s first “Rainbow Registered” rental for queer people is coming to Yonge and Eglinton

As Pride Toronto ramps up, Toronto’s real estate industry has just announced a first for the city’s queer community. The city is now home to Canada’s first Rainbow Registered residential rental, a new complex from Hazelview Properties that will rise a couple of blocks northeast of Yonge and Eglinton.

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Created by Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce, Rainbow accreditation is awarded to organizations that meet high standards of inclusion and safety for queer and trans people. As part of its registration, Hazelview’s future residence will train every on-site worker—from maintenance staff to concierges and leasing agents—on subjects such as unconscious bias, pronoun usage and inclusive language. The building will also provide year-round tenant events focused on diversity. “Residents will know without a shadow of a doubt that they are welcome there, regardless of gender, sex or identity,” says Jasmin Pirani, partner, marketing and social impact, for the corporation.

The complex includes two buildings: a new 38-storey tower and a revitalized 10-storey mid-rise, together offering 520 units and more than 15,000 square feet of shared amenities. Hazelview is also seeking Rainbow Registered status for other GTA properties, including its corporate office next to Summerhill station.

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Dean Lobo, senior communications adviser at the 519, a Toronto-based queer community services organization, calls Hazelview’s efforts “a welcoming step” but not enough. He notes that such programs do foster belonging and help eliminate illegal practices, such as screening renters based on gender and sexual orientation, that have been employed by other companies in the past. But he emphasizes that queer Torontonians are disproportionately affected by the city’s ongoing affordability, housing and homelessness crises—many can’t afford to live at Yonge and Eglinton regardless of how welcoming and inclusive the landlords are. “Ultimately,” he says, “this announcement should be a call to action for all real estate companies to ensure equity along with inclusion.”