Collaborate with service providers, including those in the private rental market, to ensure that Indigenous people have equal access to secure and affordable housing that is free of discrimination.

St. John’s in a housing crisis

As described in Call for Change 12, St. John’s is currently in a housing crisis. Individuals living in Newfoundland and Labrador are estimated to spend, on average, 62% of their income on essential expenses and 39% of those in the province spend more than 30% of their income on housing alone. In such circumstances, access to stable, affordable housing is critical. Many urban Indigenous community members report facing discrimination or conditions adverse to their physical health when it comes to their housing arrangements. Lack of affordable options is a key driver of unmet core housing needs.

Barrier identified: Insufficient rent control in NL

Compared to the rest of Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador has relatively little regulation on rent increases. Although Newfoundland and Labrador’s Residential Tenancies Act regulates the timing and notice of rent increases, it does not limit the amount by which landlords may increase rent. Restricting the allowable rent increases can help protect tenants in the private housing market from arbitrary or discriminatory increases in their rent. Indigenous community members who contributed to this year’s Reconciliation Report described experiencing racial discrimination both from private landlords and from service providers such as those processing applications for housing subsidies. Regulations such as rent control would provide one level of protection to ensure that Indigenous community members have equal access to affordable housing that is free of discrimination in the private rental market.

For First Light:

• Build a relationship with the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation to collaborate on measures addressing the housing crisis.

For Government of Newfoundland and Labrador:

• Amend the Residential Tenancies Act to (a) limit the amount that rent can be increased per year and (b) provide better protections for tenants from no fault evictions.