Data used to remove New Brunswick rental cap comes into question

Jill Green, New Brunswick’s minister responsible for housing, came under fire for data she used to support ending the province's rent cap during question period Thursday.

"I then realized I had used the incorrect word when I was talking about the data here in the house,” Green said during question period.

“I said housing starts which is very different, Mr. Speaker, then building permits. The numbers I provided were building permits that were pulled,” she said.

Opposition is now calling into question all of the minister's data used to end the 3.8 per cent rent cap.

"Here's the issue, when you offer these types of statistics then it puts everything else the minister says in question. It questions her whole credibility,” said Liberal MLA Benoît Bourque, during question period.

"What are they doing? What is their plan? And where is the evidence to back up their plan? It seems to be changing from day to day,” said Megan Mitton, the Green Party’s housing critic.

“It's really confusing and stressful for people and it's clear the priority is not protecting tenants, it's not protecting New Brunswickers,” Mitton continued.

Backtracking on ending the rent cap does seem possible but the minister would not confirm one way or the other.

"We are considering that and there's a lot of moving parts with it. So that's one of the issues that's on the table and definitely, we're considering that for the spring session,” Green told reporters.

It was proposed that the rent cap could remain in place and property owners could apply to the Residential Tenancies Tribunal for increases.

"I still believe the rent cap is the better way to go and looking at the new reports and the new data that has been made available it confirms that in my mind,” Bourque said.

"If there's not going to be a rent cap, what's the next best thing? I agree with the idea of owners having the onus to justify the increases, and I would want it right now,” he said.

But there are concerns that if the rent cap is not addressed ahead of the spring legislature sitting, it leaves months open to a loophole for landlords to increase rents ahead of the legislation.

"They would be notices of rent increases cause they have to give six months' notice and they can only give one rent increase a year, so it's possible,” Green said.

“I'll be interested to see what happens if that does happen that's going to be part of the consideration,” she said.

ACORN N.B. -- a community advocacy group -- told CTV News the return of the rent cap is imperative for New Brunswickers to feel secure in their housing and that the spring session will be too late to implement measures.