The next time you’re wandering Halifax and come across an abandoned building or empty piece of land, put a pin in that thought: With your help that property could become an affordable place for people to live. This should be housing is a brand-new collaborative mapping project that invites residents of the HRM to create […]
Housing
Posted inNews + Opinion
Council wants HRM’s enforcement of bad landlords to have some teeth
At this week’s Halifax Regional Council meeting, District 7 councillor Waye Mason got a last-minute item added to the agenda, concerning HRM’s upcoming review of rental requirements. Mason asked for the review to include bylaw options for strong penalties “up to and including the maximum statutory amount”—which is $10,000—”and rapid responses to mediate any unit where […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Pour one out for the Halifax renters left behind
Light a candle for the hundreds of Halifax renters who had to move in the last few years because their rent increased by 10 or 15 or 22 or 33 or 45 percent when it came time for lease renewal. The increase notice, delivered in writing, at least four months before the renewal date, fell […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Nova Scotia announces temporary rent control
You read that right. The Nova Scotia government has introduced temporary rent control measures to address the rampant housing crisis in this town. At a tele-press conference on Wednesday, municipal affairs and housing minister Chuck Porter gave the details. Here’s what you need to know: Rents cannot increase by more than two percent a year. […]
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Three local organizations get government cash to provide affordable housing
Halifax Regional Council gave the green light to three affordable housing projects this week. The city got money to pay for the projects from the federal government’s rapid housing initiative; the funding was earmarked for at least 28 units to the tune of $8.65 million. And with the number of people who are unhoused in Halifax doubling […]
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Halifax sees increase in homelessness, renting is still getting harder
Mount Saint Vincent University student Mila McKay has been in and out of homelessness since they moved to Halifax in 2015 because of the high rent prices in Halifax. The only time they’re not homeless is when school is in session and they can live in residence. During the summer and Christmas breaks, they slept […]
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HRM hopes landlord registry will make a dent in the rental housing crisis
Clutch your pearls, landlords of Halifax. This week at its regular Tuesday meeting, Halifax Regional Council passed the second reading of updates to bylaw M-200, which outlines the standards for residential occupancies based on the basic foundation that people should live in a place that’s “safe, warm, dry.” The long-awaited move tightens the rules around what’s […]
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This 71-year-old is living and travelling around Nova Scotia in her van
From the outside it’s nothing more than a large white cargo van, but inside, 71-year-old Gail McGinnis has done her best to make it feel like home. In 2018, McGinnis sold her house and most of her belongings to try out living in her van. “I could have rented an apartment, but I didn’t want […]
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Airbnb regulation in Nova Scotia leaves any strict rules up to municipalities
This month the province of Nova Scotia released the Tourist Accommodations Registration Act—which will require anyone operating a short-term rental that isn’t their primary residence—to register with the province and pay a petite fee. The point of the regulations, says minster of business Geoff MacLellan, was to “level the playing field” for the tourism industry. […]
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Yes, it did get harder to find an apartment in Halifax last year
The vacancy rate in Halifax has fallen to a measly one percent, lower than most cities across the country. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) the vacancy rate dropped to one percent in 2019—meaning that, on average, only one percent of rental units were available at any given time. Availability of two-bedroom […]
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Bryony House has found a temporary home
A fter almost 90 days since shuttering its women and children’s shelter, Bryony House finally has a place to call home—for now. Executive director Maria MacIntosh says after a three-month search, women and children escaping domestic violence in Halifax will soon have a place to stay. “We are likely going to be operational within weeks” […]
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Hold up on federal funding leaves Tawaak Housing Association residents waiting on repairs
Tammie Beazley doesn’t like to be reminded that she’s living in a mold-infested, dilapidated three-bedroom apartment with her three children. “We just don’t think about it anymore. Where else can we go? We can’t afford anything else,” she says. Beazley lives in an urban Indigenous housing unit on the Halifax peninsula, managed by Tawaak Housing […]