'We're several years deep in a housing crisis': Housing, rent control a Nova Scotia election issue
With a low vacancy rate and skyrocketing prices, many Nova Scotians are struggling to find a place to live and pay their rent.
Affordable housing and rent control will likely play a role when voters head to the ballot box next month.
"We're several years deep into a housing crisis, especially here in Halifax,” says Mark Culligan, a community legal worker.
Temporary rent control was brought in last fall amid the pandemic, but there’s concern about what could happen if it’s lifted.
"What we foresee, if the rental increase cap is lifted, is a rental shock,” says Culligan.
“Bad landlords, pandemic profiteers will raise rents to whatever rates they can command in the market, and right now, tenants have very little consumer power to contest those high rents."
Advocates say there isn’t enough affordable housing and want to see rent control stick around.
"We definitely need permanent rent control in Nova Scotia," says Aidan Tompkins with non-profit group ACORN.
"About two years ago, I received a rent increase that was for 29 per cent, which is egregious."
NDP leader Gary Burrill spent Tuesday morning talking about the skyrocketing cost of rent and how an NDP government would help.
"As a matter of top priority, an NDP government will move with immediate dispatch to implement permanent rent control across Nova Scotia,” says Burrill.
PC leader Tim Houston says the answer to the housing crisis is more housing stock, not rent control.
"We need to make sure we work with not-for-profits and developers alike to incentivize them and help them build more housing stock. That's the answer to the housing crisis, not reducing the rents," says Houston.
Liberal leader Iain Rankin also believes supply is an issue when it comes to housing.
“We have exploding population and we have a supply issue, so we need to grow supply. It’s not the solution like the NDP say it is," says Rankin.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.