Premier-designate Tim Houston says he doesn’t plan to extend interim rent control measures once the provincial state of emergency is lifted.
He said he doesn’t believe extending rent control is a solution to the housing crisis.
“What I want is more housing stock in this province and we will take the steps to make sure that happens,” said Houston to media during his first COVID-19 press conference on Monday.
“We don’t want to do something in the interim that gets us away from achieving the goal that we need to achieve.”
But Dalhousie Legal Aid is calling on the province and Houston to implement permanent rent control, calling it an emergency situation that requires emergency measures to help keep rents from skyrocketing after the state of emergency is lifted.
Dalhousie Legal Aid said it’s been inundated with calls from renters who risk becoming homeless because they won’t be able to afford rent when the state of emergency expires.
“What I am afraid of if rent control comes down is we’ll see skyrocketing rents who are at the end of their lease, who just have nowhere to go,” said Mark Culligan, a community legal worker at Dalhousie Legal Aid.
To make matters worse, the vacancy rate in Halifax is at 1.7 per cent, which is fuelling the housing crisis. With few rental options available, those that are remain well above the average market value, said Culligan.
“The vacancy rate right now is worse than Toronto, it’s worse than Vancouver and it’s one of the worst of any major city in Canada,” he added.
As students return to class in September and immigration resumes, Culligan anticipates the housing crunch will worsen.
N.S. NDP leader reacts
NDP Leader Gary Burrill campaigned on implementing permanent rent control and says increasing the housing stock is a long-term solution that takes years to have any effect on the housing crisis.
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“Is Tim Houston proposing that he would increase the stock by September 15th? This would be quite the magic trick,” said Burrill.
The province is eyeing Sept. 15 as the date to enter Phase 5 of the COVID-19 reopening plan, the final stage where there will be no restrictions or mandatory public health measures in place.
Burrill said hundreds of people have already received notice of their rents being increased after the state of emergency is lifted. He said rent control works and points to other major Canadian cities employing it.
“We say to the premier, look at the evidence, why do you think the majority of Canadians today live in jurisdictions with the permanent rent control? Because it works. The argument that it hinders development holds no water,” he said.
Houston said he understands the magnitude of the housing situation and will look for some immediate solutions.
“We’ll look for short-term thoughtful ideas but in the long term we need more stock, we need to build more housing stock in this province,” said Houston.
Houston said his government is set on having discussions with not-for-profit groups and anyone who has ideas and long-term solutions for the housing crisis.
“We’re anxious to have those discussions because nobody wants to see somebody homeless.”
When asked about the city’s use of police enforcement in evicting residents from encampments last week, Houston said it was an HRM decision.
He said he’s spoken to the mayor to understand how it got to that point.
Police were beginning to dismantle tents and temporary shelters and telling occupants to immediately vacate the area, but they were met with anger from a large group of people.
This led to the arrest of several protesters who had formed a protective wall in front of the crisis shelters.
Later in the afternoon, the scene became increasingly chaotic and police officers could be seen using pepper spray on people.
At the COVID-19 briefing Monday where Houston was asked about what happened, he said law enforcement was doing its job and the bigger issue is figuring out how Halifax ended up with tent cities.
“We want to get to work. We understand the anxiety that people are under. We’re totally sympathetic to some of the more dramatic situations we hear about, and I don’t want to give the impression that I’m not concerned about it,” said Houston.
“I think every Nova Scotian is concerned about it. But at the same time, we have to have real solutions. We have a housing crisis, we have to address it.”
Houston said he and his new minister responsible for the portfolio will meet with the housing commission once cabinet is sworn in next week.
—With files from Alexa MacLean
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