Press Hits

For many, affording a place to live is at the top of their list of worries. Rents have skyrocketed in recent years, making affordability a very large question mark – driving some to lengths they never would have considered before.

But for the ones like Michelle Firman, it’s driving them to take a stand.

Firman is rallying the troops in Stratford to help bring a tenant’s union to town, specifically ACORN Canada. In a recent social media post on the topic, Firman said there was a union on its way to town; she later confirmed to StratfordToday that she’s been out recruiting for the cause.

The fight against so-called “renovictions” at a pair of Chatham apartment buildings has made its way to the top.

According to Darcy Bellinger, a tenant at 49 Taylor Ave., Premier Doug Ford is personally referring the matter to Attorney General Doug Downey.

“He’s going to pass my phone number on,” Bellinger told The Voice late last week after Ford called him. “At least the issue is getting somewhere. Hopefully, there will be some actual change that comes out of this.”

Hamilton tenant advocates are among those calling for renters to have a say in the next iteration of Canada’s expiring National Housing Strategy, arguing the ongoing affordability crunch affects them the most.

Members of Hamilton ACORN briefly met with Liberal MP Aslam Rana outside his downtown office Thursday to deliver a letter urging Prime Minister Mark Carney and Housing Minister Gregor Robertson to ensure tenants aren’t left out.

“As of right now, there’s no indication that they’re going to be involving tenants in the process,” Amanda Dick told The Spectator before she and her peers spoke to Rana.

But consultation with tenants on the next version of the $115-billion-plus National Housing Strategy is crucial, she said, “because this will disproportionately affect tenants, who are already in dire straits.”

Nearly 8,000 applications that were denied for a home heating rebate this past winter would have met the criteria in years gone by, a CBC News analysis has found.

Advocates say the situation shows Nova Scotians are struggling with the high cost of living and the government is not responding adequately. But the province says it gave what it could to the province’s most vulnerable.

Data about the Heating Assistance Rebate Program (HARP) shows 7,988 applications submitted for the 2025-26 season were disqualified based on income, but would have qualified if not for a cut to the program’s eligibility.

Last year the province reduced income thresholds for HARP by 40 to 45 per cent. It also reduced the value of the rebate by more than 30 per cent.

An aging north London apartment complex where tenants recently went four weeks without hot water was converted from rental apartments to condos in 2021 and marketed to investors.

The ownership structure, one real estate expert says, can become problematic when older apartment buildings are converted to condos, particularly when maintenance and repair costs rise.

“Once they are condominiumized, after a few years the underlying problems start to rear their heads and you are faced with major repairs,” said Ron Butler, a mortgage broker who discusses the condo market on his Angry Mortgage Podcast.

A new rebate program aimed at helping residential landlords upgrade their properties could end up proving costly for tenants, according to a housing advocate.

In July, NB Power launched the Rental Owners Rebate Program, which provides financial incentives to residential rental property owners for completing energy efficient upgrades like the installation of heat pump water heaters and attic insulation.

The program has been billed by NB Power as a win-win for landlords, who can expect more marketable properties, and for tenants, who can expect lower power bills, thanks to the upgrades.

“Our stance is that it appears beneficial as long as the costs are not transferred to tenants, so this is what remains uncertain right now,” said Nichola Taylor, chair of NB ACORN, which advocates on behalf of tenants in the province.