Housing policy news: March 2022

FEDERAL

• The new federal Liberal-NDP agreement includes several housing priorities On March 22, the federal Liberal and NDP parties announced a new agreement to work together on a number of priorities until 2025. Addressing housing affordability is among the key issues that both parties have agreed to work on together. Specifically, the parties have agreed to: 
  • Tackle the financialization of housing. 
  • Extend the Rapid Housing Initiative for another year. 
  • Top-up the Canada Housing Benefit in 2022. 
  • Move forward on a Housing Accelerator Fund. 
  • Re-focus the Rental Construction Financing Initiative with a new definition of affordability. 

• New report reveals that the National Housing Strategy is falling short on creating affordable housing The National Housing Council’s report has revealed that the federal government’s National Housing Strategy is not on track to address the housing needs of communities in core housing need, namely people living in homelessness, Indigenous peoples, women and children fleeing domestic violence, and newcomers. The report outlines that – at the mid-way point of its implementation – the 10-year strategy has not increased affordable housing options, and estimates that only 3% of units created under the strategy’s rental construction fund could be considered affordable to low-income households. The Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, Ahmed Hussen, has said that he will look to see what changes could be made to the strategy.  

• New National Housing Council report recommends actions for the federal government to address Indigenous housing issues The National Housing Council has released a new report with a set of recommendations to address critical gaps in the National Housing Strategy related to urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing. The report has been sent to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, with the Council‘s recommendations that the federal government should: 
  • Establish a national Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Body. 
  • Establish an interim mechanism to fund immediate needs. 
  • Provide immediate and sustained investment in urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing. 
  • Further engagement efforts to understand urban, rural and northern Indigenous homelessness. 

NEW BRUNSWICK

• 2022 budget includes a rent cap for tenants, protections against evictions, and a tax cut for landlords In its 2022 budget, the Government of New Brunswick has announced that rent increases for 2022 will be capped at 3.8 per cent, with a possible extension of the cap beyond 2022. The government says the cap will be retroactive to January 1, 2022. However several concerns have been raised that the new policy requires legislation to be enforceable. The budget also indicates that tenants who are evicted without cause could be eligible for compensation and landlords may face a penalty. Additionally, the government will also introduce a 50 per cent cut to the property tax rate for apartment buildings and rental homes.  

• The City of Saint John requests urgent provincial intervention in supportive shelters The City of Saint John has requested help from the provincial government to consider the resources, supports and interventions that are needed to provide adequate shelters options for people experiencing homelessness with complex needs such as addictions and mental health challenges. The City has raised concerns that these individuals are not able to safely stay at existing shelters, and need additional supports from the provincial government.   

NOVA SCOTIA

• Frontline housing workers raise concerns over the lifting of the renovictions ban 
  A ban on renovictions was lifted on March 21 when the province’s state of emergency ended. The same day the ban ended, all tenants from two 4-unit rental houses were notified by their new landlord that they were being “renovicted”. Earlier in the month, frontline workers warned the lifting of the ban would cause a spike in people seeking emergency housing supports from a system that is already at capacity.  

QUEBEC

• Advocates call on the Government of Quebec to recognize the right to housing A group of over 500 organizations and individuals led by the Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU) are calling on the Government of Quebec to recognize the right to housing in its housing policy and the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. The group also called on the government to include substantial investments in social housing in its 2022 budget, and to implement new regulations to address renovictions, short-term rentals, and real estate speculation.

ONTARIO

• Ottawa adopts a Vacant Unit Tax to encourage an increase in the housing supply On March 22, Ottawa City Council adopted a one per cent Vacant Unit Tax for non-primary residences that are left vacant for more than 184 days in a year. The tax is intended to encourage homeowners to maintain, occupy or rent their properties – instead of leaving them vacant – to increase the housing supply. Several exemptions will be permitted, which have drawn critiques from some housing groups. The City estimates that the tax could generate roughly $6.6 million per year, which would be used to fund affordable housing. The tax will come into effect in 2023. 

• Toronto city staff recommend closing five COVID-19 temporary shelters In its COVID-19 Shelter Transition and Relocation Plan, City of Toronto staff are recommending that up to five temporary shelters be decommissioned in 2022, with more sites likely to be closed in 2023 as part of the transition plan. If passed by Council next month, this would result in the removal of 40% of the city’s shelter capacity.  

• Cornwall is considering a new by-law to prevent renovictions On March 29, Cornwall City Council agreed to ask city staff to prepare a feasibility report for a new by-law that would limit the number of tenants that landlords who own multiple units can evict at one time to do renovations. This move from City Council is coming one month after a corporate landlord served all 92 units at an apartment complex with “renoviction” notices. Staff will consult the City’s legal team and present a report at the end of April

MANITOBA

• New stakeholder engagement report on homelessness has been released As part of the development of its homelessness strategy, the Government of Manitoba has released a new report summarizing feedback from community stakeholders on homelessness in the province, with a focus on nine themes: housing, income, other services, transitions, prevention, service delivery, non-profit funding, private sector’s role and accountability. The report is meant to help inform the government’s new homelessness strategy, to be released later in 2022. 

BRITISH COLUMBIA

• Provincial and municipal governments are at odds on how to address housing supply BC’s Housing Minister has said that the province is considering legislation to override municipalities that refuse to approve new social housing or housing developments near transit. The statement prompted a response from the Union of BC Municipalities, in the form of a controversial report, contesting the claim that the province’s housing crisis can be attributed to a shortage of housing supply. The exchange highlights an ongoing debate in the province on how to address the housing affordability crisis and which level of government holds responsibility. 

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

• Minister asks for increased and more flexible federal funding for northern housing On March 22, the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and homelessness, Paulie Chinna, spoke at the federal government’s Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs. The Minister asked the Committee to consider various policies to support housing in northern Canada, including multi-year capital funding for new public housing, continued operational funding for public housing, and allowing local and territorial governments to have more control over how federal funds are spent.  

NUNAVUT

• New federal funding for affordable housing in Nunavut announced The federal government will invest $45 million through the Rapid Housing Initiative to build 101 affordable homes across Iqaluit, Sanirajak, Kimmirut, Naujaat, Kugaaruk and Pond Inlet. This announcement follows a plea from Premier P.J. Akeeagok in January 2022, who noted that Nunavut needs 3,500 new affordable homes to help address the housing crisis.