Online Panel – Housing in the Time of Coronavirus

COVID-19 has further exposed the precarious nature of housing for people in New Brunswick, across Canada and the world. Big business, small business and homeowners have received federal government relief, but what about tenants? The Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) for people made unemployed due to COVID-19 is not enough to cover the rent of many people. With provinces largely responsible for housing, what can New Brunswick, a province considered to have the worst tenant rights of any Canadian province, with no tenants’ association, do to counter the powerful landlord lobby that threatens to make more people homeless? Although the New Brunswick government had imposed a moratorium on evictions for tenants who could not pay their rent because of COVID-19, the government lifted that moratorium on May 31.

With

Martine August is an Assistant Professor in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo. Martine will discuss the rise in financial ownership of multi-family apartments, impacts on tenants, and how policy can be improved to protect tenants.

Asaf Rashid is a lawyer and long-time community and union organizer. Asaf will discuss advancing a right to housing under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Aditya Rao is a lawyer, renter and new tenant in Fredericton. Aditya’s presentation will focus on how the legislative framework needs to change in New Brunswick to protect tenants rights.

Moderated by Kristi Allain, Canada Research Chair in Physical Culture and Social Life, and Matthew Hayes, Canada Research Chair in Global and International Studies. Co-organized by the NB Media Co-op.

When: Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm (Atlantic time)
Where: By Zoom

Join online:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88917249302?pwd=dDFDN0g0bGR2Y1N6YWpRdXdlT1hiUT09

Join by phone: +1 647 558 0588 or +1 778 907 2071

Meeting ID: 889 1724 9302
Password: 363942

For more information, contact info@nbmediacoop.org.