IRAC suspends rental hearings until April 6 because of COVID-19

The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) is suspending allrental hearings until April 6 because ofCOVID-19.

Jennifer Perry, the director ofresidential rental property with IRAC, said the decision meansthe commission is not filing any ordersor written decisionsat this time.

On its website, the commissionhas a notice to update tenants and landlords.

Perry said thecommission chose April 6 tocoincide with when schools are due to be backin session, butsaidthere's a chance that may change.

"The protection is there for tenants not to be evicted at least until April 6," she said.

"I watch every news broadcast like everybody else and chances are, we're not going to be back to normal."

'Oneto twomonths away from absolute poverty'

Heather MacDonald, a renter in Charlottetown, said postponing the hearings is a good stepand agreedthe situation with COVID-19 will probably not be resolved by April 6.

"I think that it's a temporary measure that's going to have to be extended," MacDonald said.

That's very scary for tenants to receive that, especially during a health crisis.- Ainsley Kendrick, P.E.I. Fight for Affordable Housing

MacDonald lives with her husband in a one-bedroom apartment and said she'sconcerned about makingrent next month.

"If I were to still get food and feed my cats and live I wouldn't even saycomfortably at that point," she said.

"We are oneto twomonths away from absolute poverty or homelessness."

MacDonaldsaid she's reached out to her landlord, who she said has been "wonderful,"in order to come up with a solution that satisfies both parties.

With April 1 around the corner, Perry saidthe commission has beengetting a lot of callsfrom peopleconcerned about paying rent.

Her advice to tenants is to do what MacDonald did.

'Landlords are in an equally tough position'

"Tell the landlord, 'You know what, I can pay weekly or I can pay half now and half later,'" she said.

"I'm looking for people to be kind and take a common sense approach."

Ainsley Kendrick, with the advocacygroup P.E.I. Fight for Affordable Housing, said it's an approach the group is also advising rentersto take.

"We understand that landlords are in an equally tough position," she said.

"We don't want to start fights. Wejust encouragepeople to have compassion for each other and have real, open, honest dialogue."

Kendrick said the grouphas reached out to the province about what it's doing tosupport tenants renting from private landlords.

Last week, the province announced it would be suspending evictions by the P.E.I. Housing Corporation, the largest landlord in the province, for six weeks.

Kendricksaid the advocacy group would like to see a moratorium on evictions, similar to what Nova Scotia has put in place.

"You know, very, verysoon these eviction notices mightbe issued," she said. "And that's very scary for tenants to receive that, especially during a health crisis."

Kendrick said the group, along with Community Legal Information, iscreating a template letter for tenants to help negotiate rent deferrals.

COVID-19: What you need to know

What are the symptoms ofCOVID-19?

Common symptoms include:

• Fever.
• Cough.
• Tiredness.

But more serious symptoms can develop, including difficulty breathing and pneumonia, which can lead to death.

What should I do if I feel sick?

Isolate yourself andcall your local public health authority. Do not visit an emergency room or urgent care centre to get tested.

How can I protect myself?

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Be aware ofevolving travel advisoriesto different regions.

More detailed information on the outbreak is available on thefederal government's website.

More COVID-19 stories from CBC P.E.I.