Press Hits

In the context of rapidly worsening climate change, cities such as Ottawa are on the front lines of the race to protect residents from the threat of summer heatwaves. Statistics Canada estimates that around 36 per cent — nearly 150,000 — of Ottawa households are renters. Many have no power to control the temperature in their units. While Ottawa-specific data is scarce, a national survey from ACORN Canada found that 44 per cent of respondents had no access to air conditioning. When other factors are considered, such as old and inefficient building stock, poverty and the rising cost of living, it is no surprise that cooling is out of reach for too many.

Affordable housing is an ongoing issue in the city, and making sure you can actually live in the space is another. Mould and a lack of accessibility are just some of the problems residents at an Etobicoke complex are facing, and on Saturday, ACORN members and tenants gave Mayor Olivia Chow and city councilor Vincent Crisanti a tour of buildings on Bergamot Ave, claiming their requests for repairs have gone unresolved.

Mayor Olivia Chow vows RentSafeTO improvements after touring buildings hit with flooding issues. ACORN provided paperwork that showed a tenant was asked in September of 2024 to spend $398.33 to upgrade a fridge, and that fridge would “remain the property of Pinedale Properties Ltd.” Monique Gordon, who works with ACORN and has lived at the complex for 13 years, said she has faced harassment from the landlord for speaking out about poor conditions including poor plumbing, lack of temperature control and more.

Mayor Olivia Chow vows RentSafeTO improvements after touring buildings hit with flooding issues.

On May 28, 2025, members of ACORN NB and several local unions gathered at the Hugh John Flemming Forestry Centre in Fredericton to deliver a report to Rene Legacy, Minister of Energy, and John Herron, Minister of Natural Resources. The report, titled “Crumbling Apartments in a Warming World: Tenants in an energy cost crisis,” notes that renters are at a much higher risk of energy poverty than other demographics in Canada, meaning that many low and moderate income Canadians cannot afford their energy bills. ACORN NB Chair Nichola Taylor explained that energy poverty often means that low-income people are left without adequate air conditioning in the summer or heating in the winter, which can have potentially deadly consequences. Frederictonians are particularly susceptible to energy poverty, as NB Power raised rates by 9.7% in April and still allows winter cutoffs if a customer is unable to pay their bill, a practice Nichola described as “outrageous.” NB Power responded to Nichola’s criticism by asserting that cutting a costumer’s power in the middle of winter is a last resort, and customers are encouraged to communicate with the company to find a solution to financial barriers.

New Brunswick’s rent cap, introduced after the Liberals won last fall, will remain at three per cent for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, Housing Minister David Hickey announced in the legislature Wednesday. “Many landlords can be incredibly creative when it comes to getting their money,” said Nichola Taylor, chair of ACORN New Brunswick, a tenants’ advocacy group. “So we need to make sure that these loopholes are closed and that tenants have better protections in this province.” She said the cap has brought stability and been a “breath of fresh air” for renters, but she’s also looking forward to the fall review.