Nova Scotia election: Liberals promise to set up a rent bank for struggling renters

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As Nova Scotia's election campaign approaches the midway point, the Liberals are rolling out details of their plan to support renters.

Party leader Zach Churchill held a news conference today in Halifax, where he promised to improve rent controls and close loopholes in the province's regulations for fixed-term leases.

The Liberal plan also calls for establishing a provincial rent bank that would provide zero-interest loans to renters who can't pay their bills.

Churchill says the bank would be modelled after British Columbia's rent bank, which started as a pilot project in 2019.

As well, Churchill says if the Liberals are elected to govern on Nov. 26, they would establish a residential tenancies enforcement unit and reverse the Tory government's cuts to the rental supplement for those who pay more than 40 per cent of their pre-tax income on rent.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail, NDP Leader Claudia Chender announced that an NDP government would open 15 doctor clinics during its first year in office.

She says the clinics would help clear the backlog of people looking for a primary care provider, which has doubled over the past three years to include about 145,000 people.

The NDP's longer-term plan is to open 15 doctor clinics every year for the next three years.

Meanwhile, today is the final day for candidate nominations. The three main parties contesting the election have already confirmed they will each have a full slate of 55 candidates.

At dissolution, the Progressive Conservatives held 34 seats, the Liberals had 14 seats, the NDP six and there was one Independent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.