Revamped legislation helps renters flee violent relationships
How a Facebook group moderator championed the cause and sparked changes
Sherwin Flight has made a habit of taking on causes brought to him by the members of his Facebook group and now he is seeing a few of them rectified in a new bill proposed by the provincial government.
Flight runs the Newfoundland Landlord and Tenant Support page — with more than 8,000 members and active discussion daily about people's rights.
While several concerns raised in the group are addressed in a new Residential Tenancies Act, Flight is happiest to see a clause that allows people escaping a violent relationship to break a lease.
"It gives those people in vulnerable situations a way to get out and not have to worry about being in a dangerous situation or be liable for paying rent in a place that's not safe for them to live," Flight told CBC News.
The bill also ensures a landlord cannot violate the tenant's privacy by sharing the fact they are a victim of intimate partner violence, unless ordered to do so by a subpoena or warrant.
Flight first raised the issue in November, when he brought a petition to Service NL Minister Sherry Gambin-Walsh to bring in family violence legislation similar to Ontario and Alberta.
Throughout the course of his advocacy, Flight was invited to consult with the provincial government on several occasions during the Service NL review of the Residential Tenancies Act.
Flight said he was happy to have the ear of the minister and to be taken seriously throughout the process. He provided Gambin-Walsh with a 28-page report based on concerns raised in the Facebook group.
When asked why there was no public consultation sessions leading up to the new legislation being drafted, Gambin-Walsh told reporters that the feedback from Flight had served the purpose, saving the government money on touring the province to hear concerns in person.
When asked his opinion of the new bill, Flight said it's been a long time coming — 18 years, to be exact, since the Residential Tenancies Act was introduced.
"I think it's definitely a lot of steps in the right direction," he said. "There's still a little thing here and there that we can probably fix up but I'm happy with the results overall."