Press Hits

There is one thing that everyone across demographics and party lines can agree on: between skyrocketing costs and inadequate supply, Canada is facing a severe housing crisis.

According to the federal government, to restore housing affordability by 2035, we will need nearly five million new homes, which is almost 500,000 per year. To meet this target, the province announced in 2022 that it aims to build 1.5 million homes by 2031.

Hamilton city council will formally oppose provisions in a provincial bill that advocates warn will fast-track evictions, erode tenant rights and lead to more homelessness. Council’s opposition to proposals in Bill 60 — the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act — joins a chorus of backlash from renters and allies in Ontario as the Tory government advances its measures through the legislature. Hojay Byfield, co-chair of Hamilton ACORN’s Stoney Creek chapter, said city politicians’ unanimous support to send a letter to MPPs is a welcome gesture.

With the province mired in a housing crisis, the contentious issue of fixed-term leases was the topic du jour as the new Nova Scotia housing minister met with reporters following Thursday’s cabinet meeting. John White, the Glace Bay-Dominion MLA who joined cabinet two weeks ago, didn’t discuss fixed-term leases directly but said a low vacancy rate has given landlords “the upper hand.”

Some people very familiar with New Brunswick’s housing shortage say rooming houses could be part of the solution, but the existing supply of this once popular low-cost housing option continues to dwindle. That kind of information would be available if the province had a rental registry, said Harper Trottier, whose group ACORN N.B. would like to see a registry created. Some non-profit groups in the province are using rooming houses in housing first programs, said Woodhall-Melnik. There’s one in Saint John, for example, that is specifically for youth. They’re also fairly common living arrangements for students, [they] said.

NB Power is asking for another rate increase after two years of major hikes and growing frustration from customers. The utility is seeking an increase of 4.75 per cent from the province’s Energy and Utilities Board beginning April 2026. That would average about $10.90 per month for customers. But local advocacy group, New Brunswick ACORN, says it’s all too much for customers — amid increasing financial pressures. “People are at a breaking point, it’s just outrageous,” said the group’s chair, Nichola Taylor.

Mayor Oliva Chow tours a Scarborough apartment that tenants say is plagued with problems. Michelle Mackey reports on how the city says it’s strengthening tenant protections.