Rent cap, renoviction ban bring temporary relief to renters, but what's next?

Nova Scotia's housing minister says a rent cap and ban on renovictions — evictions in order to renovate or repair rental units — announced this week are a start, and that work continues to find more affordable places for people to live. 

Chuck Porter said he's having daily conversations with people in the private and non-profit sectors to increase Nova Scotia's affordable housing stock. 

"That's vital. That's most important to us," he told CBC's Information Morning on Friday. 

"I don't think that anybody is going to have a conversation with anyone whereby we're going to get any agreement and invest in anything that does not include an affordable housing component, and I think that developers and others understand that as well."

Listen to the full interview with Housing Minister Chuck Porter here:

The two per cent cap on rent announced Wednesday is temporary, and will expire Feb. 1 2022, or whenever the COVID-19 state of emergency is lifted. 

What long-term solutions look like will be up to the new Affordable Housing Commission, Porter said. 

"Everybody's going to have a chance to be heard because there will be subcommittees and focus groups, etc. There will be opportunities for everyone to offer their input and there's nothing better than an informed decision."

Porter spoke with CBC's Information Morning as part of its in-depth look at affordable housing issues in a series called Unaffordable or Unfit: Nova Scotia's Housing Challenge.

Opposition leaders also weighed in, saying the changes Porter announced this week are needed, but not enough. 

"The government has profoundly neglected affordable housing over the seven years of their mandate, and the solution to this is for the government to get back in the housing business, to get back in the housing game in a very serious way," said NDP leader Gary Burrill.

He said a long-term rent control plan is also key and has proven to be effective in other provinces. 

Tim Houston, leader of the Progressive Conservatives, disagrees. 

"I've met with a number of ... people and organizations on the front lines of this. I've asked every single one of them, 'Do you want rent control? Is rent control part of the solution?' I've yet to find one of them say, 'Please implement rent control. This will really help us.' Because it won't and they know it won't."

Listen to the full interview with Gary Burrill and Tim Houston here: