Press Hits

When Darlene Wesley’s landlord told her and other tenants of their small east Hamilton building to clear out for renovations, they protested. Those long-term residents of 309 Strathearne Ave. also told the property owner they expected to move back in at the same rent once the work was done. Such conditions governing existing tenants’ first right of refusal are enshrined in provincial legislation, but their landlord still re-rented the apartments and jacked up the rates. Once forced out, Fusaro managed to temporarily rent the apartment of an acquaintance they’d met through Hamilton ACORN, which helped take up the tenants’ battle to stay put.

The minister responsible for the Residential Tenancies Act concedes that Nova Scotia landlords are misusing fixed-term leases to circumvent the province’s rent cap. Speaking at the same meeting, Heather Clark, chair of the Halifax-Mainland chapter of ACORN Canada, said an ACORN fixed-term lease report shows an increase of 466 per cent since 2021 of tenants being evicted on a fixed-term lease while being good tenants and paying rent on time. The report also shows 35.7 per cent were evicted more than once and one in five ended up unhoused.

A Whalley residential development project once again came before council on May 12, along with a public hearing where residential tenants being displaced by it told the politicians they’re being left homeless. Kayla Watson of ACORN, a renters’ advocacy group, said Kwantlen Park Manor was home to 31 families, with most paying rent much lower than can be found “than in any apartment you can find in this area today. And once again, Surrey city hall is voting to displace the tenant families from their neighbourhood.

High temperatures prompted city council to direct staff in May 2023 to draft an “adequate temperature” bylaw, which would require landlords to ensure unit temperatures don’t exceed 26 C. That spring, members of the city’s public health committee heard from citizens and experts who said indoor temperatures in apartments can become dangerously hot without active cooling, which many buildings lack.

“NB Power keeps raising rates while major industrial users…Meanwhile, everyday people are falling behind,”

A provincial official acknowledged Tuesday that some Nova Scotia landlords are abusing fixed-term leases, but the government is not looking to change tenancy law because there could be “unintended consequences.” Heather Clark, chair of the Halifax chapter of housing advocacy group ACORN, told the committee that according to a 2024 report by her group, evictions had increased 466 per cent since 2021 through the use of fixed-term leases.