Are No-Pet Policies yet another way for landlords to renovict tenants. Halifax Examiner writer thinks so.

Now that we can't share Canadian News Items that irk OR delight us on FB I will attempt to circumvent the foolishness by using this dormant old blog. Here is an "Irk-er"  and the letter I wrote to elected folks and the Human Rights Commission.  This will also spare FB friends some of my ankle biting and hissy fits. I feel like I want to aim at higher body parts lately. Perhaps it's the heat, the humidity, the rain, the power outages and the general angst that one feels out there in a world on the brink. The links work, but it's a bit convoluted - 2 steps.

https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/housing/priced-out/the-housing-crisis-has-created-cat-crisis-landlords-are-declaring-their-buildings-pet-free-as-a-way-to-get-around-rent-caps-and-renoviction-rules/

 

 To the Minister of Housing in Nova Scotia ( and the Premier, and heads of other parties and the Human Rights Commission)  with a addendum to an interesting book launch, which I was actually able to share on Face book.

An HRM councillor referred me to the province as my concern does not fall under the municipal jurisdiction.  "Not my Department" is unfortunately the universal default on many housing issues. I refer to an article in the Halifax Examiner:

 I believe no-pets policies to be a human rights issue and will place additional stress and heart break for many lonely and poor people. There is strong evidence of the positive effect of companion animals on mental health. I am sure the policies will not be applied to people in high end apartments. Most pet owners are responsible. Leases can contain clauses for damage made by pets to be the responsibility of tenants. 

I realize this concern may be perceived as a "micro" concern in terms of the larger housing crisis, which has been developing from years of inaction at all levels of government. Yet I see it as one more symptom of an issue that will be dealt with in what sounds to be an important book being launched this  Wed Sep 20 at Dalhousie University.

The Tenant Class, By Ricardo Tranjan
https://atlanticbooks.ca/events/book-launch-the-tenant-class-by-ricardo-tranjan/

Tranjan is a political economist and senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). In The Tenant Class, Tranjan asks the question, What if there is no housing crisis, but instead a housing market working exactly as intended? This book has been described as a “trailblazing manifesto in which Ricardo Tranjan breaks down pervasive myths about renters, mom-and-pop landlords, and housing affordability. Drawing upon a long, inspiring history of collective action in Canada, Tranjan argues that organized tenants have the power to fight back.”

This event will be Hybrid, registration for those joining online is forthcoming.