Fredericton– On December 13, David Coon, Leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick and MLA for Fredericton South will introduce an Act to Amend the Residential Tenancies Acton Thursday to update the act to provide tenants in New Brunswick with the safeguards commonly found across Canada.
“If the Act to Amend the Residential Tenancies Act is adopted, our most vulnerable tenants will enjoy the same level of protection and support available to other Canadians,” said the Green Party leader, who is also the MLA for Fredericton South. “Tenant rights and safety should, and need to be, a priority.”
If passed, the Residential Tenancies Act would apply to tenants in public housing, allowing low-income individuals to have the same protections as all other renters. The bill would require landlords to include an estimate of average heating costs along with the rental costs in the lease, limit rent increases to once per 12-month period and allow for early termination of leases in certain safety and health-related circumstances including in cases of domestic violence.
“We need to improve rental conditions in New Brunswick, to protect the large sector of our population that lives in rental housing, many of whom are vulnerable,” said Coon. “Improvements to the Residential Tenancies Act would bring about increased protections for renters in every corner of our province. I hope my fellow members will support this bill.”
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