The fall sitting of the Nova Scotia legislature provided yet another piece of evidence that Tim Houston’s Conservatives are willing to change the law to suit the needs of their rich friends, regardless of the harm it will cause the rest of us.
Houston’s government introduced amendments to the Interim Residential Rental Increase Cap Act and the Residential Tenancies Act. After months of public outcry for the government to establish a residential tenancies enforcement unit and close the fixed term lease loophole in the rent cap act, there was a brief glimmer of hope that this bill would address these issues. Instead, the amendments brought forward by the government and passed into law on September 20, 2024 will make the already grim situation for tenants in Nova Scotia worse.
The bill leaves the fixed term lease loophole wide open while setting the allowable rental increase at five percent through 2027. This loophole exists because the cap only applies as long as a tenant continues to rent the same unit. Once a tenant vacates a unit, the landlord can set the rent at any amount for the next person.
More evictions, faster
Despite the fact that the rent cap of five percent has been in effect for the past year, the average rent in Halifax increased by 18 percent in that time. If that poor performance was not enough, the allowable increase amount is based on…nothing. There is no formula, no link to established measures like the Consumer Price Index, just a number pulled from thin air to ensure a minimum rate of growth in the profits of landlords.
But that’s not all! The new Tory bill shortens the timelines for landlords seeking evictions due to non-payment of rent; now instead of 15 days grace you only get three days! The new law also creates additional reasons a landlord can apply to evict a tenant. From the folks who brought you a budget titled “More Healthcare, Faster”, now we get “More Evictions, faster.”
In Halifax alone there are currently more than 1200 people who are actively homeless; triple what it was in 2021. How on earth do the Nova Scotia Conservatives look at this situation and think that what is called for is a bill that further criminalizes poverty and provides more vague grounds for eviction? The answer is clear when you follow the money.
Houston Tories pander to their rich friends
Looking at the political donations to Tim Houston’s Conservatives since 2020, it is easy to see who is calling the shots. Large-scale developers and landlords have made generous donations to the party and, with these new amendments, they are getting their money’s worth.
A few names in particular stand out.
Scott McCrea, president of the Armour Group, one of Nova Scotia’s major commercial and residential developers, along with members of his family donated more than $20,000 to the party in 2020, the year before the last provincial election. McCrea was rewarded by being appointed the chair of Tim Houston’s transition team.
Also on the list are many of the individuals financially benefiting from the demolition and redevelopment of Ocean Breeze Village in North Dartmouth. No surprise then that the Conservative government ignored the calls to buy the site to protect the affordable rentals. The profits of their wealthy donors depended on the government turning a blind eye while residents’ homes were bulldozed to the ground.
The list of donors also includes Wadih Fares, who said in an interview with All NovaScotia in 2021 that he was “almost offended” when the province brought in the interim rent cap. Perhaps the fixed term lease loophole and Houston’s lack of concern about the complete ineffectiveness of the rent cap has helped Mr. Fares feel better about it all.
Other big names on the donor list include the owners of Banc Group, developers who purchased the Bloomfield site in Halifax for $22 million in 2021. The large site in the centre of the city’s north end was sold to Banc Group with the conditions that construction begin by January 2026 and that 10% of the units be rented at below market rates. To date, the Bloomfield site continues to sit empty.
The list goes on. Conservative party donor Adam Barett has infamously repeatedly attempted to evict whole buildings by questionable means in order to double or triple the rent. Not surprising that the Houston government is backed by the poster boy for landlords behaving badly.
No stranger to receiving favors from the Conservatives is donor Hossein Mousavi, a director of Cresco Holdings. This firm sold the government an unfinished hotel at an inflated price which was to be converted to a transitional care unit for patients in hospital waiting for nursing home beds. However, no market or adaptability assessment was ever completed. The property has since been sold off by the government to avoid any further questions. Mr. Mousavi also benefited from the government’s decision not to proceed with Coastal Protection legislation which likely would have derailed one of Mr. Mousavi’s development projects.
Just friends helping friends.
Fight for housing for all continues
Given the list of donors who bankrolled their election campaign, it is painfully obvious that the people in power will do things to help their rich friends. “More evictions, faster” further erodes the effectiveness of the already laughable interim rent cap. And an ineffective rent cap set well above the projected rate of inflation ensures growing profits for the landlord class.
Most Nova Scotians can’t afford to make donations of thousands of dollars and shouldn’t have to pay for the protection of the law or the support of the government. This is why those of us who believe everyone should have a safe place to leave, must continue to fight to defeat Tim Houston and politicians like him.
When these amendments were at the Law Amendments Committee of the Nova Scotia Legislature, a stream of people – tenants, members of community organizations – presented eloquent arguments against the legislative changes. These presentations had no impact on the Tories – they passed the bill unamended into law. They had no impact because the Tories do not care about where people are sleeping at night. They care about who will write them the fattest cheques.
As another provincial election looms on the horizon, ask your local candidates and MLA who is funding their campaigns – are they relying on lots of donations of the $5 and $10 variety, or are their coffers filled by friends with deep pockets? After all, Tim Houston’s Conservatives are just dancing with the ones that brought them.
But, at the end of the day, improving the lives of tenants will require mass movements to push for better tenant protection, real rent control, more affordable housing, and to defend tenants against landlords who try to evict them.
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