Housing and affordable rent should be a human right says local professional

According to CMHC data, the vacancy rate for a two-bedroom apartment in the city sat at 2.7 per cent as of last October. That number is 1.6 per cent when looking for at least three bedrooms.

The numbers are a little better when it comes to townhomes, though it’s still a drop. Vacancy rates went from 11 per cent in 2021 for a two-bedroom unit to 6.4 per cent in October 2022.

As for average rental prices, those continue to go up in the city with a two-bedroom unit at around $950 and $981 monthly for a two-bedroom townhouse. Those numbers surpass the $1,000 mark for three or more bedrooms.

Why the higher rents? According to the CMHC report, it reflects higher net migration and the return of students to on-campus learning. Another factor was higher mortgage rates, which drove up already-elevated costs of homeownership.

Those elevated costs and the “financialization” of housing in Canada is what leads Dr. Brenda Mishak from the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Nursing in Prince Albert to believe a major shift needs to happen.

“It’s like a consumers market,” she said. “It’s seen as a way to make money rather than having access to housing as a human right.”

Mishak has worked with the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan (MN-S) on a housing project to help address the issue of homelessness in Métis communities.

She said when it comes to the issue of homelessness and housing security, it’s not just those without a home struggling but many, especially senior citizens, who don’t have the security they once had despite owning their own place.

“They might have their own apartment or their own place but they’re not secure physically,” she said, pointing to a recent assault at Northcote Manor. “They’re not secure financially because everything is going towards rent and they’re not secure for medical needs, gaining access, and even food, there’s no downtown grocery store anymore.”

When it comes to changing the landscape of housing and rentals, Mishak said all levels of government need to come together to seriously invest in a rights-based approach to housing. She referenced the National Housing Strategy Act that was passed in June 2019.

The law however is federal, meaning it does not apply to provincial, territorial, or municipal jurisdictions. There are also questions as to how the courts will uphold this legislation and exactly what changes it will mean for funding or programs.

“I think it’s through policies and programs that we will see a more rights-based approach,” said Mishak who said rent protections should also be a priority for governments. She said that “renovictions” have been on the rise as rental prices dropped near the start of the pandemic and many homeowners chose to renovate properties in hopes of getting more value from renters. That means, though, that current tenants were asked to leave to make way for those renovations.

These types of evictions became very prominent in larger cities like Toronto and Montreal.

At the end of it all, professionals like Mishak believe housing should not be a burden to anyone.

“It’s more than a roof over your head, it’s feeling safe and secure in your own home,” she said.

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @PA_Craddock

by Derek Craddock

Housing and affordable rent should be a human right says local professional

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