Houston government promises to release tenancy enforcement unit report - Action News
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Nova Scotia

Houston government promises to release tenancy enforcement unit report

Cabinet minister Colton LeBlanc is promising to release a report that laid out how Nova Scotia could create a unit to enforce the province's Residential Tenancies Act, similar to one in Ontario.

Consultants at Davis Pier laid out how province could set up a unit similar to one in Ontario

A man in a suit jacket.
Colton LeBlanc, the minister responsible for the Residential Tenancies Act, says he is going to release a report that outlines how Nova Scotia could create a unit to enforce the act. (CBC)

The cabinet minister responsible for Nova Scotia's Residential Tenancies Actis promising to release a consultant's report that laid out how the province could set up an enforcement unit to ensure landlords and tenants complywith the law.

The Houston government hired Davis Pier Consulting in November 2022 to map out how Nova Scotia could set up a system similar to one in Ontario, but last week announced it would not be going ahead with the plan.

Pressed on the issue Tuesday during question period, Colton LeBlanc said he would release the report as soon as possible.

Speaking to reporters afterward, the ministerwould not be more precise about when the public might see what the consultant recommended.

"Staff are currently going through to see if any redactions have to be made, but I'm expecting sooner than later and once it's made available, I'll make sure you get a copy," LeBlancsaidoutside the legislative chamber.

Copies of the preliminary report were leaked to media outlets, including CBC News, late last summer.

In it, the consultants made a strong case for why Nova Scotia should follow Ontario's lead.

"Complainants and other interested parties feel that there are no consequences for repeated or egregious violations of the [Residential Tenancies] Act, and director's orders can be difficult or impossible to enforce," the report noted.

As he has done previously, LeBlanc disputed that the consultants recommended the province create an enforcement unit.

"I know that it's been reported that it was a recommendation to government," said LeBlanc. "It was not.

"There were recommendations, if the government were to do this.We posed the question to Davis Pierto see, if government were to move forward with this, what could it look like?It wasn't a recommendation, should government do this?"

Man with dark hair and suit
Liberal Leader Zach Churchill says the government should release the report to the public to garner feedback. (Jean Laroche/CBC)

Opposition leaders said the report should be made public before other proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Actmove to the legislature's law amendments committee for public comment.

"We've got a housing crisis from one end of this province to the other," Liberal Leader Zach Churchill said. "If there is something that the public has a deep concern about, it's going to be housing and the cost of living.

"So certainly I do not think the government should be sneaky with that report [and should] allow the public to see it so the public can provide commentary."

Woman with dark hair and yellow ribbon pin
NDP Leader Claudia Chender says LeBlanc should release an unredacted version of the report before a vote on the bill commences. ( Jean Laroche/CBC)

NDP Leader Claudia Chender offered a similar view.

"[LeBlanc] should absolutely release it before we vote on this bill and he should release an unredacted version," said Chender. "We should have seen that report months ago."

Duringhis conversation with reporters, LeBlanc saidhe couldn't recall how much the province had paid for the Davis Pier report, but he said his department would be able to provide that figure.

Late Tuesday, a department spokesperson said they couldn'tprovide thatinformation immediatelybut would be able to do soat a later date.

WATCH | Dalhousie Legal Aid concerned about tenancy changes:

Dalhousie Legal Aid sounding alarm about latest tenancy changes

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Service Nova Scotia Minister Colton LeBlanc has tabled legislation that would extend the existing five per cent rent cap for two years. But Mark Culligan with Dal Legal Aid says fixed-term leases remain a loophole that hurts tenants

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