Wab Kinew promised an NDP government would “make life more affordable for renters” and “strengthen rent controls with legislation to protect renters from big rate hikes” if they were elected in 2023. In the fall of 2024, the NDP government introduced Bill 26, The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act, to limit above-guideline rent increases, but the Bill did not move forward. The Right to Housing Coalition is calling on Premier Wab Kinew to deliver on his commitment to the 1-in-3 Manitobans who rent.
The Problem
Rent increase cause a major loss of affordable rental housing in Manitoba, severely impacting low and moderate-income tenants. This is due to loopholes in the rent control system allowing unreasonable rent increases. In 2022 the Residential Tenancies Branch permitted an average rent increase of 9.8%, but documented increases have been as high as 30%, 50% and 126% in recent years. Tenants have no real protections against these increases, which can force them to move – with limited affordable alternatives – or cut back on critical expenses, like food and medicine, to pay rent.
The Solution
Premier Wab Kinew must keep his promise to make life more affordable in Manitoba by passing legislation with the following five key elements:
- Apply rent regulations to units renting for more than $1,640 monthly;
- Replace the 20-year rent regulations exemption for buildings first occupied after 2005 with a 5-year exemption;
- Limit above-guideline rent increases to no more than 9% above the rent increase guideline and no more than 3% a year;
- Calculate rent increases for capital expenses over a 10 to 25-year amortization period, after which the rent increase should be reversed; and
- Disallow rent discounts while ensuring renters keep existing discounts.
Please share our one page backgrounder and learn more about our 5 recommendations here.
Connect with us about this campaign at betterrta@righttohousing.ca