Housing advocates call for extension of Nova Scotia eviction ban
Ban ended at midnight on Tuesday, Service Nova Scotia anticipates a backlog of eviction applications
Nova Scotia housing advocates are calling on the provincial government to extend its eviction ban.
The ban was put in place in March as a response to the economic fallout from COVID-19, but it ended at midnight on Tuesday.
"I'm very concerned that we might see a spike of people evicted into homelessness," said Mark Culligan, who works for Dalhousie Legal Aid.
Culligan said an influx of homelessness could put a strain on shelters already struggling because of the pandemic. Even before the pandemic, he said a lot of renters were struggling.
"It's a violation of human rights," Culligan said.
A 1993 report by the United Nations said evictions violate the right to adequate housing.
Culligan and people from 50 other community organizations are calling for Premier Stephen McNeil to extend the ban. They're also calling for the province to amend residential tenancies regulations to introduce a reasonable repayment schedule for tenants who struggle to pay the entire month's rent up front.
"Their savings were evaporated when COVID hit and they experienced job loss, reduced hours, and many people haven't recovered from the extraordinary costs associated with that," Culligan said. "They're behind on different bills and having to make hard choices."
But extending the ban isn't a solution that works for everyone. Kevin Russell, executive director of the Investment Property Owners of Nova Scotia, said it's the "mom and pop" landlords who suffer when tenants don't pay rent.
"These units are owned by hard-working Nova Scotians who have day jobs, who invested in properties as a retirement vehicle. And now everything's at risk for them," Russell said.
"It's very import to understand, this is impacting a lot of people, both tenants and landlords, and we gotta find a solution sooner than later."
Based on previous years, Russell said he's expecting about 1,800 eviction applications now that Access Nova Scotia has reopened.
Patricia Arab, the minister of Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services, said the eviction ban was only meant to be temporary.
"This three-month period is now off and we hope those who have been impacted by COVID have taken advantage of grants and the programs that are available to them and have made arrangements with their landlords," Arab said.
She said her office is prepared for a high volume of eviction applications, including non-COVID-related evictions put on hold when Access Nova Scotia was closed.
With files from Brooklyn Currie