The Nova Scotia NDP is calling for an emergency debate on the housing crisis at Province House on Wednesday, as the end of the province’s rent cap looms.
The current two-per-cent rent cap is set to expire in February 2022 or when the COVID-19 state of emergency ends, whichever one comes first.
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Halifax tenants facing rising living costs worry about looming end to rent control
Already, some tenants have received notices of rent increases beyond their means.
On Wednesday, NDP leader Gary Burrill said he will re-introduce legislation that would make rent control permanent.
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“People are really struggling to find an affordable place to rent, or to save for a down-payment for a house,” he said in a release.
“There is a road forward out of the housing crisis. We can make sure that every single person in our province has access to decent, healthy housing. What’s required is the political will on the part of the Conservative government to actually address the problem.”
NDP says more than 120,000 people in NS rent and more than 23,000 spend more than 50 percent of their income on housing each month.
Burrill says there are paths out of the housing crisis but it requires the government to take urgent action and actually address the problem. pic.twitter.com/4ElqBjnAHq
— Jesse Thomas (@jessethomasHFX) October 13, 2021
During a throne speech from the new Progressive Conservative government on Tuesday, housing was barely mentioned, save for one line acknowledging that there is a crisis and the Progressive Conservative government intends to fix it.
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Following the speech, Premier Tim Houston told reporters his government’s housing plan would be coming soon.
“We hear the concerns of tenants and Nova Scotians and we will put together an integrated plan that we will be willing to share in the coming days,” he said. “We will be putting forward a proper solution for how we address the (housing) supply issue.”
According to the NDP release, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Halifax went up by 20 per cent between January 2020 and January 2021, and the average price to purchase a home went up by more than $100,000 between June 2020 and June 2021.
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“Thousands of families who rent their homes worry every day about the next big increase. And the dream of buying a home is moving out of reach for more and more people,” said NDP housing spokesperson Suzy Hansen in the release.
“Rent control is a key part of the solution and we need to build more affordable housing now.”
It will be up to House Speaker Keith Bain to determine if the issue merits an emergency debate Wednesday.
— with files from The Canadian Press