80+ Tenants Pack Halifax Central Library for ACORN’s ‘Fix Our Rentals’ Forum

ACORN members and neighbors from across HRM came together Monday night for our Fix Our Rentals Forum, filling the Halifax Central Library with tenant power.

More than 80 people showed up to talk about the conditions tenants are facing across HRM, hear directly from other tenants, and build the power needed to win real change.

And people were listening. Four City Councillors, Sam Austin, Jean St-Amand, Laura White, and Kathryn Morse, joined the Forum and stayed for the entire event, hearing directly from tenants about the problems they are facing in their homes.

CTV News and Dalhousie Gazette were also there to cover the Forum, bringing the fight for better rental conditions and a stronger Rental Registry to an even wider audience.

TENANTS ARE FED UP. AND WE’RE GETTING ORGANIZED.

ACORN leaders Miriam Williams and Tim Allenby opened the Forum by talking about why tenants are organizing and what we can accomplish when we fight together.

Miriam shared her experience organizing in her building, where tenants have dealt with mice, roaches, bedbugs, mould, water shutoffs, broken windows and repairs that can take months or even years to address.

Powerful testimonials from ACORN members Angela, Skarlet, and Carolyn showed that these problems aren’t isolated to one building. Tenants across HRM are dealing with the same issues, from pests and mould to neglected repairs and unsafe conditions.

That’s why tenants across HRM need to organize together.

WE WON THE RENTAL REGISTRY. NOW LET’S GIVE IT TEETH.

ACORN members fought for years to win HRM’s Rental Registry, which took effect in 2024.

But tenants are still facing serious problems in rental buildings across the municipality. At the Forum, ACORN laid out four changes we’re fighting for:

• More proactive inspections: Hire more inspectors to check rental buildings instead of waiting for tenants to report problems.

• Public building grades: Create a colour-coded system showing whether buildings pass, need improvement or fail inspection.

• More tenant education: Make sure tenants know how to use 311, including through bylaw information booths during building inspections.

• A stronger program funded by landlords: Create a small annual per-unit registration fee to fund stronger inspections and enforcement.

The Rental Registry was a major win. Now we’re organizing to make sure it actually works for tenants.

THIS IS WHAT TENANT POWER LOOKS LIKE

Miriam also shared what organizing with ACORN has already accomplished in her building.

Tenants built a tenant union, held meetings, took action and generated media attention that pushed their landlord to meet with them. With Building Standards staff now involved, tenants have won clear timelines for repairs and pest issues, information packages for tenants, and improved communication policies.

And that power is spreading.

ACORN members are building tenant unions in buildings across HRM, working with city staff around urgent concerns, and connecting tenants from across the region to build a city-wide tenant union.

As Tim said during the Forum: Landlords are organized, so tenants need to be organized too.

ACORN has already won major changes for our members, from reducing NSF fees from $50 to $10, to winning affordable internet programs, to securing hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs and pest treatments.

Now we’re building the power to win stronger protections for tenants across HRM.

THE MOVEMENT IS GROWING

The Forum ended with tenants breaking into groups to talk about what stronger rental enforcement could mean for their buildings and neighbourhoods, what they could accomplish together, and how ACORN can help them organize.

And people took the next step.

A flurry of new members signed up to get involved with ACORN, joining upcoming meetings, organizing activities and the growing fight for tenant power across HRM.

That’s what the Forum was all about: Not just talking about bad rental conditions. Organizing to change them.

More than 80 people packed the room on Monday night. Now it’s time to keep that momentum going. Here’s how:

• Sign our online action calling on HRM to strengthen the Rental Registry

• Come to our next ACORN meeting near you (email [email protected] for details

• Learn more about how to organize with neighbors at ACORN’s Organizing Workshop on Tuesday, October 20 at 6PM at Veith House (3115 Veith St),

Together, we can build the tenant power we need to fix our rentals!