FREDERICTON – In the wake of steep rent increases experienced by some New Brunswickers this year, David Coon, Leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick and MLA for Fredericton South will introduce an  Act to Amend the Residential Tenancies Act on Friday to establish rent controls to protect tenants from unreasonable rent increases.

“New Brunswick renters have fewer legal protections than other Canadians,” said Coon.  “This is why I tabled a bill to strengthen our weak Residential Tenancies Act almost two years ago.” 

The bill, which mirrors sections of Coon’s 2018 bill, will:

• Ensure that a tenant’s rent will not rise within the first year of a tenancy,
• Ensure that a tenant’s rent can only be raised once per year, and
• Establish an annual rent increase cap

“Four provinces, including PEI, have rent control to protect tenants from large increases, while New Brunswick is the only province that allows landlords to raise rent multiple times a year,” said Coon. “We need to ensure that tenants who cannot afford large increases in their rent are not left out in the cold without housing this winter.”