Housing summit heavily weighted towards business interests: critics

A housing summit organized by the Higgs government, in partnership with an association representing realtors, took place in Saint John last week, attracting protesters who believe the provincial housing strategy is bound to fail if it doesn’t include a rent cap.

Critics say the event, which took place on Tuesday, May 2 in Saint John, was heavily weighted towards business interests, leaving tenants’ rights advocates feeling steamrolled.

“I found out when we got there that it was actually the New Brunswick Real Estate Association that co-hosted this summit,” Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Green Party Megan Mitton said in an interview with CHMA.

“Real estate and developers are part of the conversation when we talk about housing. But for those voices to be there, but then not other voices, is extremely problematic, especially because… what’s at stake is people’s lives, and people’s housing. And there are literally people who are dying outdoors.”

She said the event was also marked by a lack of focus on rural homelessness.

“Sometimes the issues around being unhoused can be more hidden in rural areas,” she said. “And sometimes people end up moving to urban areas because they don’t have services in rural areas. So it’s all connected.”

The Government of New Brunswick says it’s using information from the summit to create a housing strategy that’s expected to be released in June, just a few weeks from now.

Listen to the report from CHMA, first aired May 4, 2023:

Renters’ rights groups including ACORN NB and the NB Coalition for Tenants Rights had representatives at the summit, which involved a World Café-style discussion.

They were among “over 200 stakeholder groups that were invited to attend” from a wide cross-section of New Brunswick society, including representatives from rural and urban areas, according to the province.

Peter Jongeneelen, a member of ACORN NB, spoke at a protest outside the convention centre.

“Rent control is not even really in this discussion,” he said. “And look at who is co-hosting it,” he added, a reference to the realtors’ association, which previously helped the provincial government organize a virtual forum in February.

Speakers at the summit included officials from groups including the New Brunswick Business Council, the Greater Moncton Home Builders Association, and the Canadian Real Estate Association, along with the newly-created Housing Hub of New Brunswick, which the province has said will “support housing and further development in rural areas” with $1.6 million from the province and feds.

Themes at the summit included skilled trades development, with presentations by officials from the province, the home builders’ association and the New Brunswick Community College. The day got started with a presentation by Canadian palaeontologist Scott D. Sampson, known for his expertise in dinosaurs.

The official list of speakers didn’t include any representatives from organized labour, the community sector, or any of the critical academics in New Brunswick who are currently researching the housing crisis.

And the question of strengthening renters’ rights didn’t come up in any of the presentations, according to people who attended the summit.

In an emailed statement, government spokesperson Jennifer Vienneau said the housing summit was just one of many consultations, and pointed to a list of protections for renters introduced since 2021.

Examples include limiting rent increases to once per year, and a process giving the Residential Tenancies Tribunal the authority to phase in rent hikes over several years if they’re within “market value.”

Vienneau added that the government continues to evaluate its measures and will “introduce more changes as needed.” Premier Blaine Higgs told reporters on Friday that rent caps are “still on the table,” according to the CBC.  The government’s new housing strategy is expected in June.