National

B.C. caps allowable rent increases at 3.5 per cent, 2 points lower than inflation

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 11 Sep, 2023 01:10 PM

The British Columbia government has set the allowable rent increase for next year at 3.5 per cent.

The rate is more than two percentage points below the 12-month average inflation rate of 5.6 per cent.

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says in a statement that costs have been increasing, especially for housing, at a rate that's unsustainable for many people, and this increase is a balance to protect renters, while keeping units on the market.

The increase can be effective on or after Jan. 1, 2024.

Opening 58 new homes with @MableElmore under a co-operative model that secures residents ongoing affordable housing with below market rates.

We know there is more work to do - but today we ensured 58+ more seniors in Vancouver have increased access to housing in their community. pic.twitter.com/na3JdDnGmP
— Ravi Kahlon (@KahlonRav) September 11, 2023

The government says landlords must provide three months' notice to tenants and they are only allowed to hike the rent once a year.

Before 2018, the annual allowable rent increase was based on inflation plus two per cent, a freeze was put in place during the pandemic and then the province set rent increases at two per cent for this year.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Surrey RCMP locate a stolen motorcycle and illicit drugs, suspect in custody

Police located just under 600 grams of suspected methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl in a satchel believed to have been discarded by the suspect while he fled from police. Through additional investigative steps, it was determined that the motorcycle was stolen on September 20, 2022 while being test driven by a potential buyer.

Surrey RCMP locate a stolen motorcycle and illicit drugs, suspect in custody

Workers, employers want feds to pay off EI debt

The program, which is financed entirely through premiums paid by workers and employers, accumulated $25.9 billion of debt by the end of 2021, according to the Office of the Chief Actuary. The rise in debt comes after a staggering number of Canadians were unemployed during the pandemic and eligibility rules for the program were relaxed to ease access to jobless benefits.

Workers, employers want feds to pay off EI debt

How the B.C. drought benefits some farmers

British Columbia is enduring a record-breaking dry spell, but farmer Amir Mann says the drought is far preferable to other recent weather extremes. Mann and others involved in agriculture say the downside of the drought, which has required some crops to be irrigated, is offset by benefits such as a longer harvesting period and little rot.

How the B.C. drought benefits some farmers

Wildfire flares on Vancouver's North Shore

West Vancouver Fire Rescue duty chief Matt Furlot says crews responded at around 7 a.m. He said they were trying to pinpoint the exact location of the fire and the best way to access to the flames.

Wildfire flares on Vancouver's North Shore

VPD arrests suspect in two sexual assaults

At 7:30 p.m. on July 6, a 24-year-old woman reported she had been sexually assaulted while on the escalator at the Granville SkyTrain Station by a suspect who ran away. The investigation was completed by Metro Vancouver Transit Police. A second incident occurred the following day on West Broadway at Ash Street. Just before 2 p.m. a 38-year-old woman was sexually assaulted.

VPD arrests suspect in two sexual assaults

93 year old man knocked to the ground and suffers broken hip in stranger attack

The victim – a neighbourhood resident for 30 years – was walking to a bakery near Main Street and East Pender when he was pushed over by a stranger around 3:15 Tuesday afternoon. Several witnesses stopped to help the senior, who was taken to hospital.