Students hit by rising rents

HALIFAX -- As thousands of college and university students resume classes, many are struggling to find affordable housing with rising rents in HRM and throughout the province.

“With a one per cent vacancy rate in HRM, we know that anyone looking for an affordable place to live is having a hard time,” said NDP Housing spokesperson Lisa Roberts. “Many students already face financial barriers to starting or finishing their post-secondary education. Massive rent increases shouldn’t be another thing that blocks people from education, or saddles them with even more unsustainable student debt.”

According to the Canadian Rental Housing Index, almost half of renters who are between the ages of 15 and 29 spend over 30 per cent of their income on rent and utilities.

“Looking for an apartment this summer was very difficult,” said Emma Simard, an NSCC student who lives in Halifax. “The recent increases in rents meant that I couldn’t find anything for less that $1800 for my two roommates and me. As a student and a renter in this city, I don’t feel like I can make my apartment a home. Any big increases and we would have to start all over again to try and find something we can afford.”

The NDP continues to push for rent control to be reintroduced in Nova Scotia. It was removed through a Cabinet order in 1993 by the then Liberal government.

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