Proposed Renter’s Bill of Rights a good first step, but not enough for Alberta: advocate

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced three new proposed reforms in the 2024 budget that aim to protect Canadian renters.

The federal government’s proposed housing reforms are a good first step but are not enough for Alberta, a housing advocate said.

Jessica Bird, a Calgary resident, has been living in her apartment for the last four years. When her family first moved into the then-renovated unit, the rent was $1,075 a month, everything included. The landlord increased her rent to $1,300 last March.

When Bird renewed her lease in April this year, she was told she could only sign a three-month lease because her landlord wanted to see what the rental market would be like come July 1. Bird told Global News that the landlord said rent would be increased by another $700 to $900 a month, which means the apartment would potentially cost Bird and her family $2,100 a month.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to afford $2,100 a month. If we were able to afford that, then we could get a mortgage,” she said.

Bird said she’s been looking for other places to rent for the past year but everything is out of her budget. According to a report by the Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment is 1,695 a month, up by 14.3 per cent year over year.

Bird said she considered buying an RV and winterizing it if she needed to.

“I see a lot more homeless people. I see a lot more unhoused people. I see a lot more people needing social services, and I really feel bad for the parents out there with kids. My husband and I will survive, but if we had young ones, I have no idea what we would even do,” she said.

Bird said she isn’t sure if rent caps will work in Alberta because a program like that has never existed in the province, but did say the affordable housing crisis is saddening.