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    • Here's what Trudeau says the upcoming federal budget will offer renters

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    The federal government will create a new "Canadian Renters’ Bill of Rights," which would require landlords to disclose their properties’ rental price history to prospective tenants.

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement Wednesday in Vancouver, saying it's one of three new measures that will be part of the upcoming federal budget, which will also include a new housing aid fund and a push to have rental payments affect credit scores.

    Rental demand outpaced supply in most major markets across the county last year, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.'s (CMHC) review published in January. The average purpose-built two-bedroom apartment went for $1,359 per month, while condo rental costs sat at $2,049.

    Canada's overall vacancy rate fell to a new low at 1.5 per cent last year. Regionally, rates declined in most of Canada's larger cities, while rental costs surged.

    Tenants' rights advocates have long championed the concept of a rental registry, which could allow renters to see what the previous tenant paid for a unit before accepting a new rate.

    The incoming "Bill of Rights" aims to empower renters to "bargain fairly," a Wednesday press release said.

    Alongside it, Trudeau promised a $15-million fund for provincial legal aid services to "protect tenants against unfairly rising rent payments, renovictions, or bad landlords."

    "In today's Canada, more people are renting than ever before … Nearly two thirds of young Canadians rent their homes," he said, adding that younger people spend larger portions of their incomes on rent than other generations have.

    "Maybe young people want to start a family, but they don't know how they can afford something bigger than a one-bedroom apartment."

    The new rules will require significant buy-in from the provinces, which could be a "battle," Cedric Dussault, a tenants' advocate with Quebec-based organization RCLALQ, says.

    "To be frank, we're not sure this is really up to the federal government to enact," he told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview shortly after Trudeau's announcement, which he called "surprising."

    Dussault also threw cold water on the aid fund for provincial organizations.

    "It's better than nothing," he said. "It seems like a lot of money, but when we look at the whole country, at all the needs of all the tenants across the country, it will be used up quickly."

    Housing disputes can take years to make their way through the courts, Dussault explained, while staff salaries and legal consultation fees could also add up.

    "We are facing an explosion of demands from tenants," he said.

    Building credit scores

    The government will also amend the Canadian Mortgage Charter and "call on" banks and credit companies to incorporate rental payments into Canadians' credit history, the press release said.

    "This will make it easier for you to qualify for a mortgage, or even qualify you for a lower rate," Trudeau said, lamenting that a property owner can build their credit score while paying down their mortgage, but someone paying monthly rent cannot.

    "You're spending $2,000 a month on rent. That gives you no kudos. It gives you no credit," he said.

    Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced earlier this month that the 2024 federal budget will be presented on Tuesday, April 16.

    Noting that Canadians continue to feel the squeeze of inflation, while increasingly becoming preoccupied with looming mortgage renewals, Freeland signalled then that the budget would focus on housing, affordability and jobs, while balancing the need to remain "fiscally prudent" by limiting major new spending plans.

    With files from ۴ý' Rachel Aiello

    IN DEPTH

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      A Montreal man is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the stabbing death of a woman at a park in Ottawa’s south end on Thursday.

    • An infant has died and a woman is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after they were pulled from a burning home in the city's west end overnight.

    • Crews removed approximately 50 tonnes of 'fatbergs' from the sewer system in Richmond, B.C., earlier this month, according to Metro Vancouver.

    • An animal rights group is calling on the Calgary Humane Society and Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to launch investigations into a semi-truck crash in Calgary on Tuesday that left 17 cows dead.

    • An unusual item was found parked at the bottom of the historic Rideau Canal as Parks Canada drained the water this week – electric scooters.

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    Health

    • Ontario says it will not allow international students in medical schools beginning in the fall of 2026.

    • Quebec's health department says it will be ready to meet the expected demand for advanced applications for medical assistance in dying when it begins accepting those requests next week.

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    A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

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    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

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    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

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    • An evacuation order for six properties in the hard-hit North Vancouver neighbourhood of Deep Cove has been lifted, the district says.

    • Elections BC is expected to provide a breakdown Friday of the number of uncounted mail-in and absentee ballots in each of British Columbia's 93 ridings, potentially making clearer the outcome of the weekend's nail-biting vote.

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    • An infant has died and a woman is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after they were pulled from a burning home in the city's west end overnight.

    • Ontario says it will not allow international students in medical schools beginning in the fall of 2026.

    • The federal government allowed 30-year mortgage amortizations for first-time homebuyers purchasing new builds in August, and the new rules are set to expand in December to everyone looking to buy a newly-constructed home.

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    • An animal rights group is calling on the Calgary Humane Society and Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to launch investigations into a semi-truck crash in Calgary on Tuesday that left 17 cows dead.

    • The Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Campaign is launching Oct. 25, aiming to raise money to support Canada’s veterans and their families.

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    • An unusual item was found parked at the bottom of the historic Rideau Canal as Parks Canada drained the water this week – electric scooters.

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    • A man and a woman are dead after a house fire west of the Island of Montreal in the municipality of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.

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    • A new tree-planting pilot project in Plateau-Mont-Royal is drawing criticism for eliminating parking spaces in a borough already facing limited parking, as well as for its cost.

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    • The Manitoba man who brutally murdered his partner and two young children stood in court, voice wavering, and apologized for his actions that ended the lives of three people he said he loved very much.

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    • People in the Weber Street East and Madison Avenue North area of Kitchener may need to find an alternate route this morning as police investigate a stabbing.

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    • The Maritime Sikh Society says the body of a young employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax last weekend was found by her mother.

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    • Essex County OPP are searching for the driver of a pickup truck involved in a two-vehicle collision.

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    • A critical piece of the Sault’s homeless outreach strategy is almost ready to hit the road.

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    • An annual event held in Sault Ste. Marie is back for the 29th year to ensure local kids get the winter clothing they need as the temperature dips.

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