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Premier Ford rejects Ottawa’s bill of rights and protection funds for tenants

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Premier Doug Ford is going along with the Quebec government in rejecting Ottawa’s attempt to help renters. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a budget preview which included a bill of rights and protection funds for tenants.  

Premier Ford described it as a form of “creeping into jurisdictional” matters by the federal government and Ottawa will need the provinces and territories to sign off on the proposed plan.

However, there are questions about whether this will help or hurt renters in the long term.

“There are renters of all ages across this country, and these protections and opportunities will be there for every one of you, this is just one of the things that we are going to be doing in this upcoming budget,” said Prime Minister Trudeau.

READ MORE: Ontario budget facing push back in regards to housing funds

Trudeau announced a plan to help renters stave off eviction and build equity in Vancouver on Wednesday. Ottawa’s Renter Bill of Rights includes a national standard for leases, negotiation on prices and legal aid to fight ‘renovictions’.

The Trudeau administration is proposing to put renters in the position to own a home in the future by allowing rental payments to be used in their credit score

The news drew mixed reactions from some tenants in Hamilton on Thursday.

“I really do think that would be an advantage for myself, I really do see that contributing to my credit score. I think that would be great towards buying a house one day,” says one Hamilton resident.

Another Hamilton resident said they appreciate the government’s effort to help renters out by developing a policy for it but they also know it is a complicated portfolio.

Concerns and questions range from the risk of a bad credit rating and a busy housing market.

READ MORE: Horwath to veto council’s decision not to build affordable housing on Stoney Creek parking lots

Peter Graefe a Political Scientist from McMaster University says the changes could be useful, “but it’s likely to increase the pressure on prices of homes because you don’t want all these people chasing the same number of houses.”

“Prime Minister Trudeau should be doing the things that he can do and not do the things he can’t do, so this is why I think it’s a political stunt,” said Graefe.

The plan is meeting pushback after the Quebec government said it encroaches into provincial territory. On Thursday, Premier Doug Ford agreed.

“We call it ‘jurisdictional creep’, and I know when you do that to cities, they lose their mind and rightfully so. Focus on their responsibilities and we’ll focus on ours, we’ll support the municipalities” said Ford.

This is the latest in what’s been an ongoing political battle between Ottawa and the provinces, following Trudeau’s letter to premiers over their lack of ideas on carbon pricing.

Political Analyst Keith Leslie says, “if they expect to strike deals with the provinces, this is not the way to go about it, announcing a Renters Bill of Rights when clearly it’s up to the provinces to look after housing.”

Ottawa’s plan will require some signatures from the provinces which includes requiring landlords to disclose a history of unit pricing.