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(Mike Deal \/ Free Press) Premier Wab Kinew announced his government is changing regulations to strengthen protections for renters, during a press conference across from the Courts of St. James, a major high-rise apartment complex on Portage Avenue, on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The move comes after tenants at eight Winnipeg apartment buildings owned by Alberta-based Wingspan Properties pushed back against proposed rent increases of between 54 and 125 per cent, arguing they should have the opportunity to challenge the hikes before being required to pay them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recently passed legislation in the House to make sure life will be more affordable,\u201d Kinew said. \u201cBut today we\u2019re also announcing a few steps that take things a bit further, to balance things back in the direction of renters, of tenants, of people who work hard in Manitoba and just need a little bit of help in this cost of living crisis we are all facing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kinew also announced the province is increasing the Renters Affordability Tax credit to $675 and issuing cheques to Manitobans, adding the changes ensure renters receive the benefit upfront throughout the year.<\/p>\n
Dozens of renters protested outside Kinew\u2019s constituency office last month, demanding provincial intervention as some of the disputed increases were set to take effect Nov. 1.<\/p>\n
At the heart of the dispute was a Residential Tenancies Branch policy requiring tenants to pay a higher rent sought by their landlord while an application for an above-guideline increase was being considered.<\/p>\n
Tenant advocates argued the practice could leave renters paying hundreds of dollars more each month while waiting for a decision, potentially forcing some from their homes before they had a chance to challenge the increase.<\/p>\n
Tenants also questioned whether the proposed hikes reflected legitimate capital expenditures or increased operating costs that would justify exceeding Manitoba\u2019s annual rent guideline, set at 1.8 per cent for 2026 and three per cent for 2027.<\/p>\n
Landlords can apply to the Residential Tenancies Branch for permission to exceed the annual guideline based on several factors, including major capital expenditures and rising operating costs. The Wingspan buildings were not covered by other exemptions to rent controls, including those based on building age or monthly rent thresholds (set at $1,675 per month, and increasing to $2,000 per month on Jan. 1, 2027).<\/p>\n
In addition to preventing landlords from collecting unapproved increases, the province announced it will reduce the amount of eligible capital expenditures that can be claimed toward an above-guideline increase by 40 per cent, rather than the 50 per cent reduction previously proposed.<\/p>\n
The changes follow mounting pressure on the NDP government to strengthen rent protections.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t (Mike Deal \/ Free Press) Premier Wab Kinew chats with Aidan Wilson, a renters advocate, and Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor, after the press conference.<\/p>\n When previously pressed on whether the province would intervene, Kinew pointed to Bill 13, the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act, which he said was being held up by the opposition Progressive Conservatives. He accused the Tories of delaying the legislation in hopes of securing political donations from landlords and their representatives.<\/p>\n The Conservatives rejected the allegation, saying changes to rent regulations did not require the act to pass in the legislature.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Fifty organizations signed an open letter urging the province to halt the disputed increases, warning that some tenants could be forced from their homes.<\/p>\n Several renters who spoke to the Free Press at the time said they lived on fixed incomes and feared the proposed increases would leave them unable to afford their apartments, potentially putting them at risk of homelessness.<\/p>\n The letter also called on Kinew to fulfil a 2023 election promise to limit landlords\u2019 ability to seek above-guideline increases and urged the government to make regulatory changes that did not require new legislation.<\/p>\n Members of the West Broadway Tenants Committee also met with Public Service Delivery Minister Mintu Sandhu to press for changes.<\/p>\n scott.billeck@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Scott Billeck Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade\u2019s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.\u00a0 Read more about Scott<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
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