Housing costs in rural Nova Scotia making it difficult to find a place to live

Antigonish -- The growing housing crisis is affecting all parts of Nova Scotia, not just Halifax. In Antigonish, rapidly rising rental costs and the growth of short-term rentals like Airbnb are putting a squeeze on people who rent.

“Across the province we are seeing rapid increases in rental costs for housing. People are coming into MLA offices all the time and talking to us about how much their rent is going up this year. Sometimes it’s over $200 a month,” said Lisa Roberts, NDP Housing Spokesperson. “In rural areas the situation can be even more challenging as there are limited options for housing to begin with in smaller communities. We need rent controls to stop massive increases, strong regulation of short-term rentals like Airbnb, and investment in new social market housing including cooperatives and non-profits.”

Colleen Cameron is the chairperson of Antigonish Affordable Housing, an organization that is working to create more affordable housing options in the community.

“Antigonish, like all other communities around the province, has a major affordable housing problem. Over 1300 people in Antigonish are living in places they are not able to afford to live, paying more than thirty percent of their income on shelter. Nine per cent of these people are home owners and forty-two percent are renters,” said Cameron. “If you depend on social assistance you will not be able to afford decent housing in this community. If you depend on minimum wage or low wages, you will not be able to afford decent housing.”

The NDP is focused on solutions for making housing more affordable including rent controls, regulating short-term rentals, and building more housing units.