Dozens of protesters rallied outside Province House at noon Wednesday, calling for investments in social housing and rental regulations.
“Having weak protections during a housing shortage means landlords get away with exploiting and discriminating against tenants,” Nova Scotia director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Christine Saulnier told the crowd.
Her remarks were answered with people yelling “shame.”
“It is shameful,” Saulnier continued. “We know that people are being discriminated against based on their family status, whether they’re on income assistance, their race or landlords just refuse to rent.”
Saulnier told the crowd that in Nova Scotia there are at least 48,000 renters who are paying more than 30 per cent of their income on housing.
“This leaves them insecure,” Saulnier said. “This means they don’t know whether they will have a house.”
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With signs in hand and chants ringing loud, representatives from housing advocacy groups, local tenants and even the Halifax Refugee Clinic were in attendance.
“These are people who are fleeing persecution when it comes to things that we take for granted,” Lina Hamid told the crowd when speaking of her work as a housing support worker for refugees.
She says the majority of her refugee clients are insecurely housed, and she continuously sees them being ‘othered’ when it comes to services and assistance.
“We’ve already seen the government approve people who are not permanent residents or Canaidan citizens who are coming here seeking safety of other immigration statuses be approved for the rental subsidy, so why not refugee claimants,” Hamid asks.
“At least give them that for now. But in the long term we need to see more affordable housing being built, more public housing available.”
A range of speakers addressed the group of protestors over the hour-long demonstration, including Halifax Needham MLA Suzy Hansen.
“People are struggling to make ends meet, and yet we still don’t have anything to show for it by this government. Shame. Housing is a human right,” Hansen said before heading into the legislature.
As the rally came to a close, those in attendance were invited into the Province House gallery to listen in on question period.
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