Tenants call for rent control at a Fort Simpson rally

After experiencing a 33-percent hike in his monthly payments, the head of a Fort Simpson tenants’ union is calling for legislation to control rent increases across the NWT.

Christopher Daw, who created a tenants’ union for the renters in his small, privately owned apartment building, said he received a notice in December that rent for his one-bedroom apartment would increase from $1,200 to $1,600 by May 1.

The notice, which has been reviewed by Cabin Radio, indicated this increase “reflects the rising costs of doing business in everything from interest rates, labour, building materials, heating fuel, etc.”

Daw said he’s heard from tenants in other Fort Simpson buildings who have received rent increases of up to 40 percent in the past year.

Currently, the Residential Tenancies Act states that a landlord can increase the cost of rent a maximum of once a year. However, the act does not restrict the amount by which rent can be raised, as is the case in some other Canadian jurisdictions.

To raise awareness of rent control, Daw organized a rent rally on Saturday at which he and other volunteers answered questions and handed out flyers about rent caps in other jurisdictions.

“Lower middle-class people have nowhere to go that they can afford, and even middle-class people are struggling, especially families,” said Daw.

Daw held up a sign asking drivers to “honk if your last rent increase was over 10 percent.”

“I got a few honks,” he said.

“It was kind-of slow. I think a lot of people have resigned themselves to the way it is.”

In the Yukon, rent can only be raised by 2.6 percent in 2026. Similarly, rent in British Columbia can be raised by 2.3 percent this year. In Manitoba, that figure is 1.8 percent.

Alberta and Saskatchewan have similar legislation to the NWT. In those provinces, rent can only be raised once a year but by any amount determined by the landlord.

“It’s the wild, wild west here in Northwest Territories,” said Daw.

Lisa Thurber, executive director of the Tenants Association of the NWT, said some tenants have told her about rent hikes for units in which maintenance issues haven’t been addressed.

She said she’d like to see leverage available to tenants so they can insist that repairs and maintenance issues be addressed before a rent increase can be implemented.

Thurber said she understands landlords deal with growing costs in the territory, and suggested a rent cap in the NWT would “probably be double the national average” to reflect this.

“You need to build in those costs. You need fuel, you need power, you need insurance, and those are fluctuating, and they are on a scale – and we can base that rent cap on that scale like the rest of Canada does,” said Thurber.

“This recession is coming. What happens when you have a majority of your tenants that just can’t afford to pay their rent?”

Review of legislation

Rent control was mentioned in a report published by the territorial government on Tuesday, following a review of the Residential Tenancies Act.

The report outlined concerns raised by MLAs, the Rental Office and in news reports, then put those concerns to housing administrators for feedback.

Of the three respondents – the Hay River Housing Authority, Radilih Koe Housing Association and Norman Wells Housing Authority – two said having no rental cap “allowed landlords to raise rent to pay for the rising costs of living in the North.”

“One respondent believed that a cap would leave a greater strain on the housing market and lead to slumlord conditions as landlords would not be able to collect rent that would cover their ownership costs,” the report stated.

Another respondent said a 31-percent rent increase experienced by tenants in their community was “shocking” for many, as living in an isolated community already had them paying a premium.

“Many tenants vacated their units because they could no longer afford the increase in rent,” the report noted.

A motion passed in the last legislative assembly in 2023 recommended the territorial government implement a rent cap that would limit increases to the five-year average of the Canada Consumer Price Index.

However, the motion recommended that private landlords be given the ability to apply to the Rental Office to raise rent beyond that five-year average.

The issue was raised again in 2024 by Monfwi MLA Jane Weyallon Armstrong.

“It is becoming more apparent with every passing year that the price for people to rent any housing accommodation in the NWT, especially here in the capital, is getting out of control,” said Weyallon Armstrong at the time.

Premier RJ Simpson said in response that rent control could bring uncertainty to those investing in housing in the NWT – investment needed to address the housing crisis.

“I want to provide assurances to the private industry that we are not going to put roadblocks up that would prevent them from being certain of their investments,” said Simpson at the time.

The report published Tuesday said the Department of Justice will study the feedback presented by housing providers and the Rental Office and “consider how this feedback can contribute to improving and updating the Act.”

As part of the review of the act, Thurber said she’d like to see the current appeal period for a rental office decision extended from 14 days to a minimum of 30 days.

“It’s pretty hard to get an appeal in 14 days, even if you have a good lawyer,” said Thurber.

She also wants to see a restriction on the enforcement of eviction orders in winter months and reimbursement when a landlord fails to uphold their obligations to a tenant.