The Pulse: March 12, 2024

A registry of Edmonton landlords could be in the works after city council approved an updated affordable housing strategy on Feb. 21.

The documentation could lead to better living conditions for renters and protect affordable housing in Edmonton, according to Acorn, a tenants' rights group.

"What landlord registration would do is ensure that rules and regulations are enforced," Keegan Colwell of Acorn's Alberta chapter told Taproot. "It would be funded by the small fee that landlords would pay, and it would just allow for inspections and to make sure that the places people live in are kept up to standard."

Colwell said there was an Acorn member in Lacombe whose heat failed during the January cold snap. "They tried to contact the relevant provincial recourse that they had. (The province) got back a week later and by that time, the cold snap was over," Colwell said. If the property had been registered, it would have been maintained to better standards, and the tenant would have also had a better resource to address their heat issue, Colwell argued. "This (registry) would ensure that these things don't happen, that the issues are addressed before they have a chance to hurt someone."

The city's strategy does not say the registry would only track affordable rentals. But Colwell said the registry could help protect the existing supply of affordable housing "by making sure that these buildings are kept up to a standard, that they're maintained, and they don't deteriorate, fall into ruin, and have to be abandoned."

Last spring, Acorn members in Nova Scotia successfully lobbied for a landlord registry to be created in Halifax. Starting April 1, landlords in the Halifax region must register their properties and create a maintenance plan for each. Owners of rental properties that do not register can face fines of up to $10,000.

The registry will give the Halifax Regional Municipality a clear picture of the rental landscape and allow it to step in with resources when needed, the municipality said.

Though Edmonton's updated affordable housing strategy says the city will establish a landlord registry, the city is exploring a registry as one of several tools it could use to improve tenant experiences. For example, the city already offers free courses to teach renters their rights and obligations.

"We have not explored in detail what a potential landlord registry would look like," Hani Quan, manager of housing policy and partnerships at the City of Edmonton, told council in February. "I think there's a few steps first to consider … I think we need to figure out some of the risks associated with developing a registry."

Quan added in an emailed statement to Taproot that more information will be available once city administration has worked through "scoping all of the actions and identifying priority items and opportunities to advance the implementation plan." Quan said that more information is expected by late spring.

Photo: A tenant advocate says requiring landlords to register properties would protect renters and help maintain affordable housing. (Tim Querengesser)

• About 5,000 City of Edmonton workers and 682 Edmonton Public Library employees represented by Civic Service Union 52 are preparing to walk off the job on March 14 after the union served strike notice. Negotiations between the city and the union reached an impasse in January over disagreements about wage increases and other working conditions. All public library branches will close from 11am on March 14 until further notice, and the job action will also impact various city services and facilities, including recreation centres. The potential for a strike comes as union members rejected the city's "best and final" offer, which included a 7.25% wage increase over four years from 2021 to 2025, which the union said was not enough to keep up with cost of living increases and inflation.
• The City of Edmonton says it is preparing contingency plans as the potential for a strike by unionized city and Edmonton Public Library employees looms. "We are prepared to respond to the labour disruption, and contingency plans are in place to minimize service disruptions," city manager Andre Corbould said in a statement. The city has activated its Emergency Operations Centre and several front-line services will continue uninterrupted, including Emergency Fire Rescue Services, Edmonton Transit Service and DATS, construction on capital projects, snow clearing, and waste collection.
• A new report from Edmonton Public Schools shows an increase in refugee students from Ukraine, Syria, and Afghanistan. As of Feb. 24, students from these three countries comprised 47% of the 1,567 displaced students in Edmonton's public schools. Students that qualify can access funding through a refugee student grant, which provides additional educational, social, and language support.
• Queen Elizabeth High School in north Edmonton has introduced several measures to support Muslim students for the month of Ramadan, during which Muslims refrain from eating and drinking between sunrise and sunset. The supports were requested by the school's first Muslim Students Association, and include a drop-in room, a dedicated prayer room, and special accommodations during lunch and for prayers. The school will also host an iftar dinner on March 20 for teachers, students, and families to break their fast together.
• MacEwan University kicked off its Pride Week with a campus march celebrating and showing solidarity with the LGBTQ2S+ community. The week-long event, themed "Queering the Future," features educational workshops, panels, drag shows, and other activities aimed at promoting inclusivity and combating homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia. The celebrations run until March 15.
• The province is committing $840 million over three years in the 2024 budget for 5,000 more affordable housing units. The funding includes more than $400 million for housing projects through the Affordable Housing Partnership Program and $75 million for the Indigenous Housing Capital Program to build homes for Indigenous people across Alberta. The 2024 budget also includes funding for seniors housing development and renewal, the province said, with ongoing projects aimed at improving housing accessibility and affordability.
• Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi is the latest candidate to enter the Alberta NDP leadership race. Nenshi said he is joining the race because of concerns over the leadership of Alberta's United Conservative Party government, which he called "not only incompetent," but also "immoral" and "dangerous." His entry into the leadership race to replace Rachel Notley raises the profile of the contest and could expand the NDP's support beyond its current Edmonton stronghold. Party members will elect a new leader on June 22.
• A group of Albertans owed money from Edmonton developer Christenson Group of Companies after leaving so-called life leases have come together under the Alberta Life Lease Protection Society. President Karin Dowling said the society is meant to advocate for those owed money after leaving life-lease units, launch legal actions, and push for legislative changes. Life leases allow tenants, often seniors, to pay a lump sum up front, offering long-term housing stability. The Christenson Group said it is working on its refinancing efforts but has not provided a timeline for repayments. A spokesperson for the Alberta government said the province intends to introduce life lease legislation within weeks.
• The Alberta government is implementing new temporary measures to update the province's electricity market rules based on recommendations from the Alberta Electric System Operator and the Alberta Market Surveillance Administrator. The changes are intended to help lower utility bills by addressing the practice of "economic withholding" by power generators, and are part of a broader effort to adapt Alberta's electricity system, originally designed for coal, to better accommodate natural gas and renewables.
• The Alberta government and Indigenous leaders want to access $137 million in unused federal funding from the Site Rehabilitation Program to clean up inactive oil and gas sites in First Nations communities. The program has had clear economic and environmental benefits, said Chief Cody Thomas of Enoch Cree Nation, highlighting its role in land revitalization and job creation for Indigenous contractors. More than 1,824 inactive well sites have already been reclaimed.

Correction: This file has been updated to amend the number of Edmonton Public Library employees expected to go on strike on March 14.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• The Business Link: Market Research for Business Success starting at 10:30am online
• Alberta LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce Business Community Action Summit starting at 4:30pm at the Matrix Hotel
• YEG Reconnect: An Evening of Presentations starting at 5:30pm at the Road 55 Studio

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• March 17: Sensory Friendly Mornings at the Science Centre at the TELUS World of Science Edmonton
• March 21: L.H. Thomas Lecture at the University of Alberta — Rutherford Library South
• March 24: Edmonton Seedy Sunday at the Alberta Avenue Community Centre

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.