RHB Magazine August 2023 - Regional Association Voice

Hot Topics:

HDAA provides an update on the City of Hamilton's Rental Licensing pilot project, the encampment protocol, and upcoming housing developments. pg. 49

LPMA unveils the speakers and topics for upcoming meetings and describes Ontario's proposed legislation to discourage "renovictions." pg. 53

EOLO provides updates on the City of Ottawa's solid waste policies and the Vacant Unit Tax. pg. 57

SKLA discusses recent events, including the Annual General Meeting and CFAA Rental Housing Conference, as well as the association's advocacy efforts. pg. 61

The Member Associations

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Summer is in full swing and the HDAA has been focusing on getting ready for the second half of the year, as well as strategizing our plans to combat many of the bylaws the City of Hamilton has either already put in place or hopes to create. The HDAA will have two more dinner meetings before the end of the year, as well as a presidential election. We hope everyone has a great rest of their summer and we look forward to seeing our members at the next dinner meeting in September.

- Arun Pathak, President, HDAA

Licensing update

On June 13, 2023, the City’s Planning Committee met and discussed the latest update to the Rental Licensing pilot project.

As noted in the charts below, both the compliance rates and currently licensed unit rates are quite low. The report also noted that 657 properties in zones past their application period have been investigated. Those investigations resulted in an increase in zoning verification applications and license applications. Prior to proactive enforcement, Licensing was receiving approximately 16 applications per month. Following increased proactive enforcement, that number has increased to 26 per month on average. Overall, there have been 223 rental housing license applications received by the City with 69 issued as of March 31, 2023.

Based on the original identified list of suspected rental housing units presented to Council, below are the percentages of applications received and licenses issued – 23.8 per cent of all applications received are a direct result of proactive enforcement.

Based on these numbers, we would argue that the licensing pilot project has been unsuccessful so far, particularly due to the fact initial projection numbers for a no net levy impact were to see 2,000 rental units licensed annually during the project to offset the estimated costs of $2,147,055. There are still three more zones to capture; however, seeing as the pilot project is more than halfway through its one of seven zone application periods with only 223 applications versus the anticipated 2,000, it appears it will be quite an uphill battle to show that licensing in the City would be successful. For those wanting to read the full report, you may find it on the City of Hamilton’s website.

Hamilton encampment protocol

In light of growing numbers of encampments in Hamilton and growing concerns about homelessness, the City is currently looking at an encampment strategy that would consist of two components: an encampment protocol and sanctioned encampments. The encampment

Table 2: Licensed rental units

From April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, 69 licenses have been issued.

Table 1: Compliance rates

protocol would involve a set of rules that would govern how small encampments could exist in the City, separate from possible sanctioned sites for larger encampments. There would be a limit of five tents per encampment cluster, as well as distance limits. For example, an encampment cluster must maintain a five-metre distance from private property, and sites with environmental or heritage designations, and a 50-metre distance from schools, daycares, and recreational assets like pools.

Sanctioned encampments would be managed sites on City-owned land in three to five locations across the City. The City and service providers would give residents services like sanitation, electricity, and storage for their belongings. This could be in the form of tiny homes rather than tents. There are no specific sites in mind yet, but sites will need to be able to accommodate between 30 to 50 tents (or tiny homes), be near services (like a transit route), and offer some privacy.

The City held three public sessions, the second of which was attended by over 1,000 residents who turned out for a two-hour talk that also included City staff and people experiencing homelessness. Many residents were concerned about encampments in the City and around their homes. The City has already declared states of emergency related to homelessness, opioid addiction, and mental health. Since December 2021, the number of actively homeless people in Hamilton has hovered around 1,600, with approximately 165 individuals “truly finding themselves unsheltered.”

When asked, Premier Doug Ford wasn’t warm to the idea of sanctioned encampments in Hamilton, saying it wasn’t feasible for families living near them and that residents in tents needed to “move on.” After reiterating new homelessness prevention funding for Hamilton, about $27.8 million in each of the next three years, the premier said encampments “taking over communities” and “taking over parks” is not acceptable.

Meanwhile, the City’s shelter system remains overwhelmed, housing some 300 people on average every month. There are currently 265 individual beds and 62 family rooms on a given night in the City’s shelter supply. The executive director of Good Shepherd in Hamilton said the lingering effects of the pandemic have kept the system “over capacity,” despite the recent addition of a 20-bed women’s shelter and the opening of supportive housing for up to 73 women and non-binary and transgender individuals.

Questions about using vacant properties like empty schools was brought up by some residents. However, those properties are owned by the schoolboards and the province, and it would not be an easy process to use them for a shelter or living space. If a suitable property was found, it would need to be bought and then retrofitted, a process that would take some time.

None of the proposed encampment protocols are final. Feedback from the community will be compiled by City staff who will be presenting a revised protocol to Council. That feedback, including a scan of what is being done by other municipalities, is scheduled to be presented to Council for their review and decision in August.

Hamilton developments

In the last article on upcoming Hamilton developments, we mentioned the muchanticipated Jamesville development, which would bring a 46-unit, rent-geared-to-income apartment building, as well as 447 units slated to be market-priced, stacked townhomes. It would be replacing a townhouse complex that consisted of 91 subsidized townhomes, which has been closed down for several years awaiting redevelopment. At the time of our last update, the

development had been further stalled by a CN rail appeal. The appeal centred on concerns about odour, vibration, noise, and safety related to the proximity of the proposed development to the railroad’s marshalling yard and whether the proposed sensitive land uses are appropriate for the property.

The Ontario Land Tribunal recently provided an update that the City and CN Rail will conduct confidential mediation talks during July and August in hopes of reaching a settlement to allow the construction of housing at the site. CN would like the Tribunal to impose more rigid noise mitigation requirements for the proposed 447-unit redevelopment, which is located approximately 230 metres east of CN’s Stuart Street Yard. It is not objecting to the development as long as the impact on the adjacent rail operations is accounted for, and appropriate mitigation measures are applied. Ontario Land Tribunal Member Steve DeBoer expressed optimism the parties will reach an agreement before the next CMC hearing date on September 8.

One of the most anticipated Hamilton developments, however, is the Pier 8 redevelopment. The Pier 8 project is expected to transform a 13-hectare former industrial shipping pier into a new mixed-use residential and commercial development. The redevelopment of Pier 8 will create a vibrant urban waterfront community that will include approximately 1,500 residential units, approximately 13,000 square metres of commercial and institutional space, and over 1,400 parking spaces. It will also be a great revenue generator for the City. When the redevelopment is completed, stretching from Bayfront Park to the HMCS Haida, as it will add $9 million (in 2017 dollars) to the City’s revenue every year.

The redevelopment is also estimated to generate $1 billion in private-sector investment, as the City will sell 42 per cent of the land for development. The plan, made up of multiple smaller projects, will take another 15 to 20 years to finish and cost the City $140 million. A 45-storey condo tower, with approximately 429 residential units, is one of the proposals for the site. If approved by Council, it would become the tallest building in Hamilton.

Past events

The HDAA is thankful to our members for a successful first half of the year! We held a great trade show and golf tournament and would like to thank all our members and suppliers who continue to support the association.

June 6, 2023 – Golf tournament

The HDAA’s first golf tournament since the pandemic was a huge success. We had a beautiful day of golfing and networking, fantastic weather, and a great dinner with some excellent prizes. We were joined by RHB as well, who gratefully documented the day for us. We want to send a big thank you to everyone who participated, including our wonderful event sponsors.

Upcoming events

September 13, 2023 – Dinner meeting

The second half of the year will start off with a dinner meeting on September 13. Make sure to mark your calendars and keep an eye out for our emails for more details.

November 8, 2023 – Dinner meeting

The HDAA will be holding our last dinner meeting of the year on November 8. Make sure to mark your calendars and keep an eye out for our emails for more details.

Hamilton & District Apartment Association

Since 1960, the Hamilton & District Apartment Association has grown significantly. Our members manage over 30,000 units throughout Hamilton, Burlington, Brantford, Guelph, Mississauga, Oakville, St. Catharines and into the Niagara Peninsula. The association is a highly respected organization, sought out regularly by government, industry, media and the public.

Interested? Call us or join online!

Ph: 905-616-2058

Web: www.hamiltonapartmentassociation.ca

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

LPMA unveils topics, speakers for 2023-2024 meetings

Summer has finally arrived, the kids are out of school, and it’s time to relax, slow down, and reset. LPMA’s board of directors and committees are busy planning for the year ahead. You recently asked for specific initiatives and we listened. They are as follows:

1. We will be moving our members’ meetings from the London Hellenic Community Centre to the Highland Country Club, the clear winner with its great location and free parking, not to mention its professional and welcoming ambiance.

2. For the calendar year 2023-2024, we will be hosting four members’ meetings with great topics and amazing speakers. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone there. Mark your calendars for the following dates:

• October 10: Legal discussion on amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act and Landlord and Tenant Board processes

• January 9: Operations update: fire safety, security, and tackling homelessness

• March 5: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. presentation and roundtable discussion among leading London developers

• May 14: Updates and insights from FRPO and CFAA

If you haven’t yet registered, our 23rd annual charity golf tournament takes place on September 11 at FireRock Golf Club. Proceeds from the event will benefit Karen’s Place, a transitional home for older women experiencing homelessness. The five-bedroom home honours LPMA member Karen Crich, who passed away in 2021.

Sincerely,

- Richie Anand, President, LPMA

ONTARIO TO SAFEGUARD TENANTS’ RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL IN PROPOSED ‘RENOVICTION’ LEGISLATION

Landlords will need to be especially careful about securing vacant possession now that the provincial government is introducing changes to protect tenants against “renovictions.”

Bill 97, which hasn’t yet been proclaimed in force, makes it mandatory for landlords who serve tenants with an N13 notice of eviction to also provide them with a report from a qualified individual. The report must state that vacant possession is needed to carry out the work and that a building permit will have to be issued. An expected timeline for the renovation must also be included.

If landlords don’t serve both documents together, the N13 notice is void and landlords won’t be granted vacant possession, said London lawyer Joe Hoffer. Landlords must also give tenants at least 120 days’ written notice and pay them compensation equal to three months’ rent regardless of whether they intend to return. “If you mess up that part of it, you may not find out until 120 days later that you’re not going to get possession,” Hoffer said. He added it would be expensive for a landlord to have to start over if construction crews were under contract to begin the work on a pre-arranged date.

Richie Anand

An adjudicator is not bound by a report indicating that vacant possession is needed. That’s problematic, Hoffer said.

“Board members don’t have any special expertise when it comes to construction… It just invites disputes and more litigation.”

As is the law currently, landlords must give tenants at least 120 days’ written notice. Landlords of buildings with five or more units must also generally pay tenants compensation equal to three months’ rent by the termination date regardless of whether the tenants intend to return. Landlords of buildings with four or fewer units generally need to pay the rent for the lesser of one month or the period during which the unit is being repaired or renovated.

Right of first refusal

One aim of the province’s changes through Bill 97 is to ensure tenants are fully informed about the renovation timeline, Hoffer said. When landlords serve the N13 notice, they are required to give tenants who intend to return to their unit an estimate of the length of time it will take to complete the work and then update them with any changes to the timeline. Once the unit is ready, tenants will have 60 days prior to the end of their rental period to exercise a right of first refusal. This covers situations in which tenants have rented another unit for the duration of the renovation and need to give that landlord 60 days’ notice so they can vacate and re-occupy their previous unit.

If a landlord doesn’t allow a tenant to return after a renovation or hasn’t complied with the steps outlined in the legislation, the Board can find that the landlord acted in bad faith.

“If it’s bad faith, then there are very severe penalties to the landlord,” Hoffer said.

Fines can be levied at up to $500,000 for corporations and $100,000 for individuals, including directors of corporations. An order could also be made to put displaced tenants back into possession of their units, although that will not be done if an innocent new tenant is in possession of the unit.

If landlords refuse to allow tenants to return at the same rent, tenants would have two years from the date they vacated or six months after the renovations, whichever is longer, to seek a remedy from the Board compared to the standard limitation period of one year.

Although many tenants take the compensation of three months’ rent that landlords are required to offer and enter into a new lease elsewhere, not all can afford to pay market rent at another building. Other tenants stay with friends or family and then reoccupy their unit at the rent they paid prior to the renovation. Hoffer said it’s a great deal for them because their units were fully renovated at the time that major capital work, such as replacing plumbing and electrical systems, was carried out.

Tenant protection measures

Hoffer said the changes in Bill 97 are tied to the province’s desire for landlords to upgrade older buildings, balanced against the disruption to tenants where vacant possession is required. Particularly when plumbing and electrical infrastructure is being altered, the only way major upgrades can be done is by securing a building permit and vacant possession because vital services won’t be available to tenants while the work is being carried out. Although this is a legitimate use of the N13 notice, many tenants are still in a bad situation.

“The goal is to put more protections in for tenants and better assurance that a tenant will be able to exercise a right of first refusal,” Hoffer said. However, there is little incentive for landlords to upgrade their buildings if they can’t charge a higher rent when tenants return.

Landlord’s own use

The proposed legislation requires landlords to move into a unit by a specific deadline when they evict the tenants to use the unit themselves or for their family members. That deadline will be prescribed by the regulations. Currently, if landlords want to renovate a unit and live in it themselves, there is no set time by which they or a family member need to move in.

Air conditioning units

As part of Bill 97, tenants will be allowed to safely install window or portable air conditioners at their own expense as long as they inform their landlord in writing before the installation. Landlords can still prohibit the installation of a window AC unit over a sheer drop because of safety concerns that it could fall and injure a passerby below, Hoffer said. Tenants must pay an additional seasonal charge unless the lease states that the unit may be installed without an increase in rent. Currently, that charge can be a standard charge for the building. Under Bill 97, each charge is to be based on the energy efficiency of the AC unit and the tenant’s estimate of how much they will use it, as stated in

“You find yourself as a landlord in a situation where you’re absorbing more of the electricity cost, but who’s going to go to the Board to fight about the difference between $50 and $20? That means you’re just going to go along with it.”

Under the current law, the question of allowing air conditioners varies from landlord to landlord, Hoffer said. The standard LPMA or FRPO lease states that the only appliances to be allowed are those that are already in the unit. Tenants need landlords’ written consent to install an AC unit and have to pay the required charge in exchange for running the unit as much as they desire. Many landlords don’t allow AC units over a sheer drop to prevent a repeat of the accidental death of a two-year-old girl in Toronto who was hit by an air conditioner that fell from an apartment window in 2019. Other landlords allow AC units over sheer drops if they are installed by a professional.

The government included air conditioning in Bill 97 as a way of addressing the fact that summers are becoming hotter, Hoffer said.

Chair’s message

As stated on page 8, I have stepped down as President of Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations (CFAA). However, I will be continuing as the Chair of EOLO. I look forward to continuing to represent EOLO members in dealing with the City of Ottawa.

I am happy that I will be able to spend more time with my four young grandchildren, and to travel with my wife, Brenda, when we choose. I am also happy to be able to give more priority to City of Ottawa issues, especially at those times in the year when CFAA's issues demanded a lot of my time and effort. EOLO's members will still receive updates on federal issues, and on CFAA's work. This report addresses two practical issues at the City, which EOLO has been involved with from the time the issues came to Ottawa: solid waste and organic recycling in multi-residential buildings, and the Vacant Unit Tax.

Solid waste updates

Curbside solid waste

Curbside collection is provided for owneroccupied homes, small low-rise rental buildings, and some rowhouse complexes. In the last issue, EOLO reported on the three options City staff presented as ways to change the curbside collection rules to extend the life of the Trail Road landfill. The three options were:

• Partial Pay-As-You-Throw (Partial PAYT)

• A ban on the contents of solid waste enforced through requiring clear bags

• Reducing the garbage limit per household and enforcing the limit

On June 14, City Council approved a new policy to come into force in 2024, which will limit residents to three garbage items every two weeks.

• A garbage item can be a garbage bag, a 140-litre container or bulky item. Households can put several smaller bags in containers up to 140 litres.

• There will continue to be no limit to how much residents can set out through curbside recycling and green bins.

City staff will look into expanding the existing yellow bag program to permit owners of residential properties receiving curbside collection to purchase tags or bags for a small charge, and set out additional garbage items.

Multi-residential waste diversion strategy

City staff are working with EOLO, property owners, managers, and superintendents on the plan to bring green bins to all multi-residential properties. An update will be provided to Council this fall on the implementation of mandatory organics.

Over 160 properties have been onboarded to the green bin program in the last year. As of July 2023, 55,743 multi-residential units have access to green bin collection. City staff anticipate that the proactive onboarding approach will resume in or about September.

Before resuming the onboarding, City staff intend to meet with EOLO and the MR Working Group to share how industry feedback was incorporated into the plan and what the next steps will be.

In the meantime, Environmental Education Assistants (EEAs) have begun working with property managers and their residents to provide on-site door-to-door outreach, onboarding, and re-education about organic recycling at preidentified buildings and townhome complexes. The City service report stated residents living at a multi-residential property who are looking to start or refresh their green bin program can contact their property manager or visit Ottawa.ca/multires for details.

At this time, the information on the green bin program for apartments and multi-units within the website is out of date. A section below lists the topics and certain key information on other topics available at that website.

However, City staff provided an update to EOLO. The City has been conducting outreach at MR properties that already receive green bin collection. In the last month, more than 1,000 MR units were visited. Visual inspections by staff have noted an increase in organics diversion at those properties. This is an outreach pilot and the team is working on refining its approach to outreach and metrics for quantifying participation changes. City staff hope to have an update on this later this summer or in early fall.

- John Dickie, Chair, Eastern Ontario Landlord Organization

If anyone is interested in hosting a green bin outreach session for their tenants at their property, you can email multires@ottawa.ca.

For Ferguslea’s successful approach to implementation, please see the article on pages 50-51 in the March/April 2022 issue of RHB Magazine at https://www.rentalhousingbusiness.ca/ archive/.

Solid Waste Master Plan (SWMP)

Over the last few months, the various Waste Plan actions have been analyzed to assess the potential impact of the plan, including changes to diversion, landfill life, and GHG emissions reduction. The plan will describe all these actions in detail and how they will help contribute to the plan’s vision, goals, and objectives. It will also present short- and longer-term targets for the entire plan and performance measures for some individual actions. The final financial analysis is also under way to assess the financial impact of all actions. That will also be brought forward to Council in October.

Following the presentation of the draft plan to Council in October, staff will engage with the public for the final round of consultation.

“Engagement Series 3” will ask for feedback on the draft SWMP before staff finalize and present it to Council in spring 2024.

What’s next?

This fall, City staff will convene a meeting of the Stakeholder Sounding Board to provide a review of the SWMP and the plans for engaging with the public during Engagement Series 3. City staff will also provide an update on the Waste Plan component projects and Individual Producer Responsibility.

Individual Producer Responsibility is the new province-wide system in which businesses that use packaging have to organize the pickup of the packaging, and pay for the pickup and disposal of the packaging. In each municipality, producers are organized into a collective body to do that efficiently. Any changes to how the black and blue box systems operate will be announced ahead of time. For now, those City systems are being rolled over to the new Producer waste handling bodies.

Topics addressed at Ottawa.ca/multires

For property owners, managers, and superintendents

• Green bin and leaf and yard waste

• Multi-residential stakeholder working group

 Among other points, the Province has made a commitment to phase out food and organic waste from landfills by 2030

• Collection days

• Superintendent’s handbook

• Special waste items

• Damaged containers

• Free communication materials

• Tips and tricks

For residents and tenants

• Which bin to put it in?

• Electronic waste (or “e-waste”)

• Solid Waste Master Plan

Multi-Residential Waste Diversion Strategy

https://engage.ottawa.ca/multi-residential-waste-diversion-strategy

The project recommends five pillars to support increasing waste diversion at multiresidential properties:

• Expanding organics diversion to all multi-residential properties

• Enhancing promotion and education (P&E)

• Exploring pilots

• Dedicating and redesigning space for waste disposal programs

• Driving change moving forward through the collection contract

Vacant Unit Tax (VUT)

For properties in the residential tax class (i.e., with six units or fewer, but including all residential condominium units), VUT declarations were due in the spring. The first stage in the VUT appeal process is to file an online Notice of Complaint, now available on ottawa.ca/vut . The deadline for filing is September 15, 2023. The City will review Notices of Complaint, and send decisions by mail or email.

If a property owner disagrees with the decision from their Notice of Complaint, they have a second appeal available, namely a Request for Review. The form is also available online at ottawa.ca/vut . It must be filed within 90 days of the decision on the Notice of Complaint.

To complete any of the forms – Notice of Complaint, Request for Review, and VUT declaration – owners or property managers need the assessment roll number and the access code found on the previous VUT information notice or the final property tax bill. Owners registered with MyServiceOttawa can go directly to the forms from their property tax account.

Information about the VUT results to date

As per their previous direction, Ottawa City Council received a memo from City staff in June, providing figures on the status of the VUT. Table 1 shows highlights from the memo.

City staff expect appeals will reduce the figure of 6,104 for total vacant units somewhat, whereas audits will increase it somewhat. Table 2 shows details of the declared vacant units by type. City staff seem to want to proceed with the VUT. Councillors are less committed to the VUT, and they might be willing to overrule City staff. The usual left wing-centre-right wing division appears to apply to the VUT debate. The left wingers like the money the VUT may generate to fund affordable housing development, whereas the right wingers would prefer the City to leave people alone.

EOLO wants the VUT abolished. To achieve that, we will need to work with the councillors who oppose it, and the centrists, and make sure that we mobilize opposition at the right time.

BECOME AN EOLO MEMBER NOW!

EOLO invites Ottawa area landlords to join the organization. Have your interests and concerns heard, and benefit from EOLO’s support. As an EOLO member, you will be able to:

• Receive prompt emails of relevant City rule changes

• Attend two networking receptions a year

• Attend two free education events a year

• Receive all 6 annual issues of RHB Magazine with current developments, City and provincial funding programs, and landlord-tenant laws.

To apply for membership, go to www.eolo.ca, download the membership application form and send it to us at the contact info on that website.

Table 1: High-level VUT summary

Table 2: VUT details by unit type

CEO’S MESSAGE

Since my last message to you in March of this year, we’ve been working hard on behalf of our members to deliver education, advocate for our industry, and improve our operations.

Saskatchewan’s rental housing industry is what our members describe as “on fire,” but in a good way. With a 7 per cent increase in immigration reported by the Government of Saskatchewan, there is strong demand across our major cities, which is putting upward pressure on rental rates. Although rent increases can be uncomfortable for tenants and rental housing providers, Saskatchewan has some of the most affordable rents in the country and these rent increases will be reinvested in existing and new rental properties.

With decreasing affordability in home ownership and rising rental rates, low-income families and individuals are increasingly at risk of being evicted into homelessness. Provincial and federal governments will need to provide sufficient and consistent housing benefits that renters can afford and rent the housing that they need. To support low-income renters, we will continue to fight for amendments to the Saskatchewan Income Support Program, especially direct payment of rent to rental housing providers.

If you or a colleague need assistance on rental housing matters, please call our office and we’d be happy to help.

Thank you to our members for their continued support. We are much stronger when we are united together as a team.

- Cameron Choquette, CEO

Events at a glance

Conference 2023, presented by The Home Depot

Together with the Home Depot, Yardi, and a number of other corporate partners, we can’t wait to host rental housing providers and stakeholders for our annual conference on September 27–28 in Saskatoon. We’ve already confirmed speakers who will be presenting on mortgage interest rates, leasing strategies, emotional support animals, and much more! You can register for the whole conference or just come for the education day on September 28. In addition to a number of impactful speakers, we will also be celebrating the excellence and professionalism of our industry at the 2023 Rental Housing Awards luncheon, presented by Yardi.

Be sure to visit our website for all of the details on Conference 2023 and how you can participate.

Annual General Meeting

We were thrilled to welcome Gavin Little and Carla Browne as new Directors at the association’s AGM held on June 19. We approved the financial reports, appointed our financial reviewer, and reviewed our annual report for 2022-23.

We continue to see membership growth, and are working hard to streamline our strategy to better serve our members.

After concluding a term of more than two years as our Board Chair, Ramona Maraj moved into her new role as Past Chair of the Board. Sheena Keslick has since been appointed as Chair and Louise Elsey has been appointed as Vice Chair. We’d like to thank them for their leadership and dedication to the association and our industry.

Cameron Choquette, CEO

CFAA Rental Housing Conference

Sheena, Cam, and Past Chair Ramona

Maraj also attended the Canadian Federation of Apartment Association’s annual rental housing conference, CFAA-RHC, which took place in Halifax, also in June.

The conference featured outstanding speakers, a lot of networking opportunities, and the chance to explore the beautiful city of Halifax. Many rental housing providers shared similar challenges to the ones we are facing here in Saskatchewan, but we have the benefit of no rent control and much less government regulation.

At the conference, CFAA leaders reported on the two main views of the reasons rents are rising across Canada. The issues are described in detail in the CFAA article, which begins on page 35. That article also sets out links readers can use to access CFAA’s work and the testimony given at the House of Commons HUMA Committee, which will issue a report on rental housing in the Fall. Next year’s CFAA RHC will be held in Toronto, on May 14, 15 and 16. Attendees can expect to hear updates on Canada’s rental issues, including important political updates, operational topics, marketing and leasing, and many more.

Apartmentalize in Atlanta, GA

Our incoming Board Chair, Sheena Keslick, and CEO Cameron Choquette attended the National Apartment Association’s annual conference, Apartmentalize, which took place in Atlanta in June, which hosted over 10,000 attendees. Both Sheena and Cam learned about rental operations, low-income housing options, pet screening, and much more.

Apartmentalize is held in June each year. Through CFAA and SKLA, Saskatchewan rental housing providers can attend the whole conference for the NAA member rate. If you want to attend in future years, check in with us for the discount code to get that registration rate.

Advocacy

As the association representing rental housing providers in Saskatchewan, our relationships with public servants and elected officials remain strong. We are monitoring a number of important files that impact the rental housing industry. Recent advocacy work is described on the next page.

Office of Residential Tenancies

In late July, we submitted a letter to the Minister of Justice that outlined our concerns relating to the Office of Residential Tenancies, saying: “Ensuring that the ORT has the monetary resources to recruit and appoint hearing officers must be a priority for the Ministry of Justice. The rental housing industry depends on the ORT for the efficient and fair administration of justice between rental housing providers and tenants.” We will be meeting with Minister Eyre in September and look forward to providing an update on the delays being experienced at the ORT.

Contact with other members of CFAA gives us some insight into how bad hearing delays can get and how much negative impact that has on rental housing providers. Small-scale landlords are particularly hard hit by delays, but they are bad for all rental providers. Hearing delays are also bad for tenants because if they have experienced a financial problem, they need to adjust for it quickly, rather than built up a debt they can never clear. As well, if the problem is behavioural then delays mean a disruptive tenant interferes with other tenants longer, which is unfair to them.

Court of King’s Bench

We were made aware of significant delays in the scheduling of appeals at the Court of King’s Bench, which we promptly responded to through the Court’s Registrar. We’ve been in communication with the Registrar and the Chief Justice to ensure that appeals are scheduled promptly so both tenants and rental housing providers can access the justice they need.

Rental scams

Together with the Saskatchewan REALTORS Association and the Better Business Bureau

of Saskatchewan, we warned the public about the recent increase in rental scams. We caution tenants to ensure they take the time to know who they are dealing with and never send money to someone who says they are a rental housing provider until they have viewed the property and signed a tenancy agreement.

Housing Accelerator Fund

The federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund is designed to support municipalities in approving more housing faster, and supporting denser housing, and more affordable housing. Given the availability of land in Saskatchewan, greater density is not a key issue, but faster approvals would make rental supply more available.

In turn, a responsive rental supply takes away the political pressure that sometimes arises to impose rent control. Along with Alberta, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland, Saskatchewan does not have rent control. As described in detail in the article beginning on page 35, CFAA is working hard to preserve provincial control over rent control to avoid its coming to Saskatchewan. CEO Cameron Choquette is working with CFAA to provide the Saskatchewan perspective on upcoming housing issues at the federal level.

We were pleased to work with the City of Saskatoon in brainstorming initiatives for their application to the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund. We pushed for faster permit times, prioritizing multi-family rentals for development approval, and reducing red tape for the renovation and legalization of existing suites. All of those measures will keep the rental supply responsive to changes in rental demand, which will help us stay free from the scourge of rent control, which applies in six of the ten provinces, including the three with the largest populations and number of rental providers.

As the voice of landlords in Saskatchewan, we deliver knowledge, promote best practices, and advocate for a healthy and resilient rental housing industry. We are the leading community of industry professionals who are proud to provide safe, high-quality rental homes for the people of Saskatchewan.

We work to ensure Saskatchewan’s rental housing industry meets the needs of renters, owners, and managers. Our team is dedicating to serving our members in any way that we can.

Cameron Choquette, Chief Executive Officer #17-102 Cope Cr, Saskatoon, SK S7T 0X2 eo@skla.ca