• Edmonton could be taking province to court over infill decree

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-10-13 20:29:40.0
  Tags: [Alberta, Municipal, Housing, Governance, Justice]

  Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack announced that the City of Edmonton is considering legal action against the provincial government following a directive from Premier Danielle Smith ordering Edmonton City Council to repeal its current zoning bylaw and reinstate the previous one within a three-month window. Mayor Knack stated that the provincial mandate forces councillors to violate Section 25 of the Municipal Government Act by requiring them to enter a mandated public hearing with predetermined voting instructions rather than an open mind. Furthermore, the city noted that the unexpected decree will force municipal staff to incur unbudgeted overtime costs to prepare the required reports and notices while simultaneously managing the city's four-year budget cycle.

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• N.S. mother vows to finish late son’s fight for improved income support for tent residents

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-09 20:16:42.0
  Tags: [Nova Scotia, Housing, Social Services, Justice, Governance]

  Following an August 5, 2026 Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ruling establishing that a tent qualifies as accommodation for income assistance, the Nova Scotia provincial government updated its legislation and disability supplement regulations to exclude people living in tents from accessing enhanced financial support. In response, the provincial NDP introduced a private member's bill titled Bradley’s Law—named after Bradley Lowe, a 30-year-old who died at a Halifax encampment in 2023 during a legal challenge over income assistance rates—to mandate that financial support be provided regardless of housing status. Human rights lawyer Vince Calderhead has petitioned the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission to investigate the provincial policy change as a human rights violation.

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• ‘Cruel’: Legal community questions N.S. move to exclude tents from higher income assistance

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-01 21:51:03.0
  Tags: [Nova Scotia, Housing, Social Services, Justice]

  Following a Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ruling on August 5, 2026, which established that tents count as legal accommodations for unhoused individuals to access higher income assistance, the provincial government revised its income assistance regulations on August 25, 2026. The regulatory amendments repealed the definition of a "home" and limited it to residential units with a kitchen and bathroom or municipally-approved rooming houses, effectively excluding tents from enhanced support rates. Human rights lawyer Vince Calderhead and Dalhousie Legal Aid criticized the change as discriminatory and harmful to unhoused individuals, while the province stated the amendments provide clearer and more consistent eligibility criteria.

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• MLAs begin tour across N.W.T. to discuss new anti-drug law

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-09-01 12:24:45.0
  Tags: [National, Justice, Public Safety, Housing, Indigenous]

  Members of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly have initiated a territorial tour to conduct public town hall meetings regarding the proposed Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act (SCAN). If enacted, the legislation would empower territorial officials to launch investigations into residential properties suspected of housing illegal drug activity based on confidential public complaints, and apply for tenancy terminations and evictions through rental officers. During the initial consultation in Fort Good Hope, residents voiced broad support for the enforcement mechanism while simultaneously highlighting the absence of concurrent measures to address systemic addiction, youth programming, and broader public safety concerns.

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