Parkdale Tenant’s Association (PTA), raises awareness of tenant rights among the Parkdale community members and provides a space where tenants can voice concerns and lodge complaints against their landlords. The PTA runs public campaigns to respond directly to issues tenants face. Specifically, they expose landlords who abuse tenant rights, and highlight political figures who fail to uphold promises to provide adequate housing through the awarding the Golden Cockroach and Golden Weasel awards to the worst candidates. With humour and public embarrassment they’ve held landlords and politicians accountable for their actions, and made great changes in their community.
With a highly multicultural and new immigrant based neighborhood, they also address divisive cultural and community issues in buildings. They arrange for anti-racist, community building and culture welcoming events.

This organization is particularly interesting because it has been around since 1971 and it maintains its grassroots origins; being for the tenants, and run by the tenants. It accomplishes so much with so little, and has such a compelling organizational model that it regularly receives requests for structural advice from other organizations. PTA successfully provides much needed attention to important local issues, and stands up for individual tenants who are in difficult situations. But most importantly, PTA continues to provide and promote both the unity and agency of the disenfranchised and marginalized individuals and groups.

Thinking about holding your own Golden Cockroach Award Ceremony?If you like the award ceremony idea or are considering starting your own tenants association you should know that the Parkdale Tenants Association has helped dozens of groups get off the ground from all around the world. Feel free to use any of their resources, including this building rating survey which they use to rate buildings in Parkdale. To seek advice or ask questions about their work, call 416-760-2149 and leave a message, or email them at info@goldencockroach.org. They will get back to you.

Did you know…

The Golden Cockroach Award has been copied by groups around the world. PTA has even heard of prisoners gathering together to present this prestigious award to their warden. Check out Queens University’s video on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UC8T1JOd6M.

Video Credits for Parkdale Tenants Association: Director, Lana Lovell. Camera, Alejandro Munoz-Hernandez. Editor, Jaspreet Sandhu.