Nova Scotia studying creation of enforcement unit for tenant-landlord disputes

HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government has hired a consultant to examine whether the province should create an Ontario-style enforcement system for landlords and tenants, in which trained officers would advise parties on disputes and have the power to issue fines.

Halifax-based Davis Pier Consulting won the contract to study Ontario’s system and come up with a comprehensive program design detailing the scope, structure and costs of implementing something similar in Nova Scotia, said Blaise Theriault, spokesman for the minister responsible for the Residential Tenancies Act.

Both tenants rights groups and landlord associations have been for years calling for an enforcement system. They say the province doesn’t have the resources to manage tenant-landlord disputes, which can drag on for months.

“Some stakeholders feel that there are no consequences for repeated or egregious violations of the Residential Tenancies Act, and (its) directors’ orders can be difficult or impossible to enforce,” says the province’s overview of the project, dated Oct. 12. …[Read More]