A new study from Point2Homes suggests young renters in Halifax will have to save money for over a decade to purchase a starter home at the current average price. The generational study uses data from Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census on Canada’s 20 largest cities, as well as real estate data from the Canadian Real Estate […]
Housing
Posted inNews + Opinion
Will short-term rental regulations increase Nova Scotia’s housing supply?
Short-term rentals in Nova Scotia, such as Airbnbs, will have to be registered with the province when new regulations come into effect at the end of September—a move the government hopes will create more long-term housing. Announced in a press release from the Nova Scotian government last month, the rules introduced in the Short-term […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The provincial government is making it easier for you to get evicted
Tim Houston’s government announced law changes to the Residential Tenancies Act last week that will benefit landlords and make it easier for tenants to lose their homes. New regulations give landlords more flexibility and power in evicting tenants, proposing a shorter timeline for filing an eviction notice for late rent and giving landlords more […]
Posted inArts + Music
What you need to know about Habitat for Humanity’s Huge House Party
The second annual Habitat for Humanity Huge House Party is scheduled to go down on Friday, Sep. 20, and there’s plenty to be excited about. The event raises money for Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia, which is currently in the process of constructing two homes and has several other projects planned for next year. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Residential Tenancies Act remains toothless as support systems become overwhelmed
Nova Scotia’s New Democratic Party is once again calling on Houston’s Progressive Conservative government to create a tenancy enforcement unit to ensure both tenants and landlords are following the rules. In their statement released on July 17, the NSNDP claims Houston’s government has been “sitting on a consultant’s report” recommending the creation of such […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Fixed-term lease legislation remains a nightmare for renters in Halifax
Catherine Chase didn’t expect she would have to pick up her life and move by the end of August. Chase rents a two-bedroom apartment at Prince Edward Estates, owned and managed by Flex Development. She moved in during 2021, and at the time signed a fixed-term lease with the company. This type of lease […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
HRM’s anti-slumlord bylaw—what is it and how does it work?
HRM’s executive committee voted in favour of a staff report detailing a communications strategy to let people in the city—especially young people—know about bylaw M-200 and other housing related guidelines. Well, what is bylaw M-200? It is, essentially, anti-slumlord legislation. Also known as Respecting Standards for Residential Occupancies, the bylaw sets minimum standards for […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
What’s the best way to help the houseless—shelter now or housing later?
Friday is a storm day in Halifax. The buses have stopped running. Schools are shuttered. Coffee shops have locked their doors and even Halifax Central Library is closed. In an early morning press release, HRM directs unhoused people to the Hfx Warming Centre. The warming centre’s entrance to it isn’t particularly easy to find. The […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Former Dartmouth Travelodge to be transformed into supportive housing
Late last week, three levels of government came together for a Zoom announcement that will see a former Dartmouth hotel turned into 65 supportive housing units. “I don’t want to be the mayor of the city where people don’t have a place to live,” said HRM mayor Mike Savage, who spoke during the Thursday call […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Downtown Dartmouth parking lot to be transformed into affordable housing
On Tuesday, Develop Nova Scotia announced an affordable housing development for downtown Dartmouth. Currently a parking lot with enviable waterfront views, the property on Alderney Drive between Prince and King Streets will soon be a mixed-use building, likely towering over nearby buildings. “That parking lot doesn’t really serve much of a use to anybody,” downtown […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
First modular move-in “was really great and very chaotic”
Despite bone-chilling wind and the temperature sitting around -16 degrees, a recent Sunday was warm and happy for the Out of the Cold housing association. The long-awaited day had finally arrived when a group of unhoused people got to move out of the Gray Arena, which was being used as a makeshift shelter since early […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Making peace with two years of COVID
In the beginning Two weeks. Remember when the pandemic was supposed to last two weeks? Now, it’s been almost two years since we “buckled down,” stocked up on toilet paper and cloth masks, and first locked down due to COVID-19. Now, 22 months after the virus first reared its ugly head in Nova Scotia, we’re […]