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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s opposition parties say they can’t understand why the government insists the province doesn’t need an enforcement unit to help settle disputes between landlords and tenants.

The parties’ reactions come after the government released a $300,000 report earlier this week that laid out how such a unit would work.

Halifax firm Davis Pier Consulting was mandated by the government in 2022 to study how an enforcement unit could manage disputes more efficiently, and the company delivered its report more than a year ago.

Colton LeBlanc, minister of Service Nova Scotia, said that upon reviewing the report the government decided such an enforcement unit would result in more red tape and longer dispute resolution times for both landlords and tenants.

“We took that report, we looked at other jurisdictions that have a compliance enforcement unit … we determined those outcomes would not be desired for Nova Scotians,” LeBlanc said during question period Thursday.

Currently, enforcement of rulings from tenancy hearings is preformed through the province’s sheriff services.

Opposition Liberal Leader Zach Churchill said in an interview it’s baffling the province is not proceeding with an enforcement unit that both tenants and landlords have called for.

“There’s obvious reasons why this is important. We’ve got near zero vacancy rates. We’ve got a premier that’s doubling the population when we don’t have enough houses. Housing disputes are on the rise between tenants and landlords. We’re seeing record numbers of evictions,” Churchill said, adding the report seemed to indicate that such units would offer increased protections to both rental parties.

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said she finds it “stunning” that about a year ago the province appeared to be moving forward with tenancy enforcement only to decide to scrap the plan. A compliance unit could help protect renters from landlords who are behaving illegally, she added.

“Our question now is who’s in the premier’s ear telling him not to do this? How did this change? Because it remains clear that both tenants and landlord organizations want this enforcement unit,” Chender said, speaking at a housing rally in Halifax Thursday morning.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

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LLOYDMINSTER, SASK. – RCMP said suspects were at large but the public was not at risk Thursday following a triple homicide at a home in Lloydminster, Sask.

Staff Sgt. Brian Nicholl didn’t give details about the victims.

He told reporters it appears they were targeted.

“It’s not a random incident,” Nicholl said.

“The suspect or suspects are still at large. So I do understand the concern by the community, but this is not a random incident.”

Mounties said the bodies were discovered after officers were asked to do a wellness check at the house on Wednesday afternoon.

Media reports from the scene show yellow police tape blocking off a green-coloured home on the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster. The city straddles the Alberta-Saskatchewan boundary.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said the three deceased were found on the Alberta side of Lloydminster.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

HALIFAX – Following an extraordinary reversal by Premier Tim Houston, the Nova Scotia legislature on Thursday adopted a bill declaring domestic violence an epidemic in the province.

The lightning fast passage of the bill introduced by the opposition NDP came less than an hour after the premier told reporters he didn’t think the legislation was necessary.

The bill’s passage also followed a tense conversation involving four women from the private sector union Unifor who were advocating for the bill — and who had cornered Houston near a hallway elevator outside the legislative chamber. Minutes later, the government was back in the house of assembly to pass a bill that went through all three readings with all-party support in just under 10 minutes.

“Today will change the life and the direction for many women and anyone experiencing intimate partner violence in the province of Nova Scotia,” said a visibly emotional Jennifer Murray, Unifor’s Atlantic regional director. “We are going to keep advocating and we will be pushing for more with this legislation. What we saw today was … real citizens coming together and making a huge difference.”

In introducing the bill, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Thursday the idea was to legislate a recommendation to all levels of government from the commission of inquiry that investigated the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting. The commission heard that the gunman behind Canada’s worst mass shooting had a history of domestic violence and had seriously assaulted his spouse moments before he began a 13-hour rampage that left 22 people dead.

Houston initially told reporters he didn’t believe legislation was needed because the government had already made it clear in previous statements that domestic violence was an epidemic in the province.

But after he voted for the bill, Houston said he had changed his mind following his conversation with the union group and a closer look at the proposed legislation.

“Government actions matter for sure and government words matter too,” the premier said. “That was the message that was shared with me by the group that was here. This was an opportunity that meant a lot, so we took that opportunity.”

A statement from the NDP said Nova Scotia has the highest rates of intimate partner violence of any province in Canada, with over 30 per cent of women and 22.5 per cent of men who have been in a relationship reporting being physically or sexually assaulted by their partner.

“This is a very important day for women, gender diverse folks, men, anyone who has suffered intimate partner violence … they should take some solace in this legislation that has been passed,” Chender said. “We see it as Step 1 in addressing this issue and in implementing the findings of the Mass Casualty Commission.”

The New Democrats also called Thursday for the province to expand paid leave for employees or their children who experience intimate partner violence to five days, up from three, following British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick and other jurisdictions across the country.

Labour Minister Jill Balser told the legislature the government has carried out consultations and would have a response before the end of the year.

“We want to look at five paid days because those who are fleeing domestic violence deserve to have that support … I will have more to share very soon,” Balser said.

The drama around the issue of domestic violence wasn’t the first for Houston’s government. In April, then-justice minister Brad Johns resigned after disputing the public inquiry’s finding that domestic violence is an epidemic and saying that drugs and gun violence were more serious problems.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

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