H alifax city council is preparing to create a mandatory registry for rental properties in Halifax that will show you their basic information and by-law violation record. An amendment to by-law M-200 was approved Tuesday to increase compliance with new standards. Almost three years ago, M-200 was passed to redefine standards for rental properties. On […]
Housing
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Fighting to keep young adults with disabilities out of nursing homes
Mary Burtt’s daughter Laura Osborne was diagnosed with metachromatic leukodystrophy—a rare disease with symptoms of muscle rigidity, inability to walk, seizures and blindness—when she was 16 years old. “We knew it was only going to get worse,” says Burt. Laura Osborne’s disease progressed until she began using a wheelchair, and by the time she was […]
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The time is yesterday for action on systemic warehousing of people with disabilities
Last Thursday disability advocacy groups presented a letter to the premier, calling on the provincial government to address systemic warehousing of people with disabilities. “The fact that there are thousands of people with disabilities still living in institutions shows that Nova Scotia is not doing enough to keep these promises and support our rights,” says […]
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Rental supplements not a fix-all solution to housing crisis
Housing Nova Scotia is on track to meeting its target of applying an additional 500 rental subsidies to reduce the housing wait list. Last year the provincial government committed to reducing the wait list by 30 percent—almost doubling the number of rent supplements over three years. Rental supplements exist as an alternative to for the […]
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Federal budget funds far off for Nova Scotia’s home-buyers
The federal housing budget announced solutions to Canada’s housing problems last week but experts say the plan isn’t likely to change the lives of Nova Scotians. “It’s only an incentive for those who were going to get a home anyway,” says Nova Scotia anti-poverty and housing advocate Jodi Brown. Michael Haan, Canada Research Chair in […]
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Council to consider cutting construction costs for affordable housing projects
Council approved deputy mayor Tony Mancini’s motion to incentivize non-profits working in affordable housing to actually break ground. His motion asking for a staff report on what waving municipal construction fees for non-profits passed this week with an amendment from councillor Lindell Smith making sure eligible non-profits actually work within the realm of affordable housing. […]
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Short-term rental rules to change in favour of Airbnb listers
N ew legislation introduced last week will repeal the Tourist Accommodations Act and create an online registry for short-term rentals like Airbnb, but the new rules could instead open opportunities for enterprising hosts with a mind to avoid taxes. David de Jongh, former Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia member and owner of Seawind Landing […]
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The fight for fair housing
The room was packed. The chairs filled first. Extra chairs were brought out. Then the aisles filled with people until finally, the doors opened so attendees could pour out and watch the panelists from outside. The No More Warehousing: Time for Housing and Dignity for Nova Scotia’s Severely Physically Disabled panel was held at the Halifax […]
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Planning experts skeptical of Midtown North development
Debate around the Midtown North development has some planning experts worried about the long-term costs of ambitious housing projects. The residential and commercial development has begun construction on the block between Almon Street and St. Alban Street, along Robie. It features six buildings surrounding a courtyard with commercial space on the floor levels, 60 affordable […]
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Liberating the missing middle of Halifax’s development
It’s the first rule of city planning: You don’t mess with people’s neighbourhoods without a fight. Minneapolis got a crash course in that reality last year when, in the face of rapid population growth, ballooning housing costs and plummeting vacancy rates, its city council voted for a new planning framework called “Minneapolis 2040.” The new […]
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Cogswell District building on anti-Black history
The new neighbourhood set to replace the Cogswell Interchange is the conclusion of a slum removal strategy that started in the early 1900s, says a Concordia University planning professor, and now threatens affordable housing in the surrounding area. Ted Rutland, the author of Displacing Blackness: Planning, Power and Race in 20th Century Halifax, says every […]
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Tourism association pulled out of Airbnb working group after two meetings
A working group report on the regulation of online accommodation sharing websites like Airbnb and VRBO has input from just about every relevant stakeholder—except the tourism industry. The only representatives from the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia at the table pulled out of the working group after two meetings. The provincial tourism department formed […]