Press Hits

As a tenants’ rights group warns about loopholes in New Brunswick’s proposed rent cap, the province’s housing minister has promised to address any remaining issues later on. Housing Minister David Hickey tabled rent cap legislation just two weeks into the Liberal majority government mandate. While Nichola Taylor, chair of New Brunswick’s ACORN chapter, says it’s a necessary step, she says that protection won’t work as intended without other changes to the Residential Tenancies Act.

Currently, the LTB estimates that the average application for non-payment of rent is scheduled for a hearing in roughly three months — down from an estimated 10 months in 2023. All other application types take an estimated five to seven months. CBC spoke to members of landlord associations and rental experts who confirmed the process appears to be moving faster for non-payment applications. But representatives from the Federation of Metro Tenants Associations and Toronto ACORN say tenants are currently experiencing wait times that far exceed those averages.

Tenants plan to gather outside of 99 Kennedy Rd. N. to demand an end to “‘roach infestations, mold and chronically neglected repairs.” The landlord for the property, Golden Equity, could not be reached for comment. Backed by ACORN, an anti-poverty advocacy organization that represents lower- and middle-income residents across Canada, the residents will also be calling on the City of Brampton to broaden a landlord licensing program to include large apartment buildings.

Les membres du groupe de pression ACORN-NB sont contents du contrôle des loyers annoncé par le gouvernement provincial. Ils souhaitent néanmoins des mesures supplémentaires pour que la mesure soit efficace. Les militants d’ACORN-NB sont incapables de contrôler la météo, mais ils pensent que le gouvernement provincial peut maîtriser la hausse des loyers. C’est pourquoi sept d’entre eux ont manifesté sous la pluie à Moncton, vendredi.

On National Housing Day, housing advocacy group ACORN continued to push for anti-renoviction bylaws. This comes the same day Region of Waterloo reported progress in its plan to build more affordable housing. Linda Vos joined ACORN to echo tenant concerns at her 250 Fredrick Street building, where tenants said they’re being unfairly forced out for renovations.

Residents in Surrey’s Whalley neighbourhood say low-rise buildings are being scheduled for demolition, leaving little affordable housing in the working-class community. They’re looking for protection from new construction, similar to recently passed protections in Burnaby and in the Broadway Corridor in Vancouver.