Affordable housing advocates are camped out in front of the Nova Scotia legislature on Thursday.
The province’s largest tenant union “ACORN” is holding the all day occupation to call for action on the housing crisis by introducing permanent rent control.
A news release says tenants have been reaching out to share stories about how their landlords intend to raise rents once the cap lifts.
“What we’re seeing is rent increases where the landlord says ‘Your rent is going up by the legal 2%, unless the state of emergency lifts in which case it will go up $100-$1000,” says Halifax-Peninsula Chair Hannah Wood. “We’ve seen rent increases like these for as much as $2000.”
The current temporary rent cap is tied to the provincial state of emergency and will be lifted when that ends or in February, whichever comes first.
The premier has said he does not believe rent control is the right fix, but all options are being considered.
The rally goes until 5:30 p.m.
