There's no question SOMETHING needs to be done, but is implementing rent control the proper solution?
Rent control needs to make a comeback in Saskatchewan to protect people from "unreasonable" hikes in what they pay each month, says Saskatchewan NDP Leader Dwain Lingenfelter. And there are many who would agree with him.
While not proposing a specific model of rent control, Lingenfelter says the basic idea is a cap on how much a rent can be increased.
"We believe it's necessary," he said Tuesday. "This is not a new concept. I think 65 per cent of Canadians have and are protected by rent controls - the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, British Columbia have rent controls."
It was a previous NDP government in 1992 that scrapped rent control in Saskatchewan.
Rental rates are a huge concern in the province. Lower income families and people with fixed incomes are having a tough time making ends meet as costs continue to climb each month.
But if we put a cap on rent, will this deter potential builders from putting up new units? A housing shortage is also a big contributor to the problem. It's a bit of a catch 22.
Saskatchewan's Justice Minister Don Morgan says the Saskatchewan Party government has no plan for introducing rent control, and is instead focused on increasing the supply of available housing. Rent control could do the opposite, Morgan suggests.
"We think it's a disincentive to having developers put more property on the market," he reasons. At today's skyrocketing building costs, why would a developer build if he's going to be limited as to what he can charge per unit?
That said, there are real people struggling to make ends meet. There are couch surfers, there are homeless, there are students trying to work and finish school so they can better themselves. There are working poor. Somebody has to look out for these people.
Maybe it's formula that will be the key - a balance of higher and lower end units. Regardless, the door has been opened and it can't be closed until we lasting change.
