As changes to Residential Tenancies Act draw near, Yukoners react

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Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-30 17:51:39.0
Tags: [National, Housing, Affordability, Governance]

Yukon Party MLAs voted to pass statutory amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act, effectively eliminating territorial rent caps and reintroducing no-cause evictions effective December 1. The legislative changes, spearheaded by Community Services Minister Cory Bellmore and supported by Premier Currie Dixon, aim to transition the territory to a market-based rental system and encourage housing investment. The Yukon Residential Landlord Association estimated that landlords have withdrawn more than 200 rental units from the market since rent controls were implemented in 2021, while opposition parties and housing advocates criticized the measures for lacking supporting data and negatively impacting tenant housing security.

6 provinces and territories exploring adoption of new CO detector rules, Sask. minister says

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-29 22:04:08.0
Tags: [Saskatchewan, National, Public Safety, Housing, Governance]

Effective November 1, 2026, Saskatchewan is enacting regulatory updates known as Henry's Law, which requires carbon monoxide alarms in all residential suites across multi-unit buildings, regardless of their location within the structure. Named in memory of 11-year-old Henry Losco, who died from carbon monoxide poisoning following a boiler leak in a Regina apartment building in December 2025, the legislation applies to both existing and new residential buildings. Saskatchewan's Minister of Government Relations Eric Schmalz announced that six other provincial and territorial jurisdictions—Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories—are actively exploring the adoption of similar carbon monoxide safety rules.

Dawson City, Yukon, leaders urge territory to retract no-cause eviction bill

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-29 19:12:01.0
Tags: [National, Housing, Affordability, Governance]

The Yukon Legislative Assembly passed Bill 8, enacting amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act that reintroduce no-cause evictions and scrap rent control. In response, Dawson City Mayor Stephen Johnson, the Dawson City Council, and former territorial NDP candidate Francis van Kessel sent letters urging Premier Currie Dixon and Minister of Community Services Cory Bellmore to retract the legislation due to severe rental scarcity and potential strains on community social services.

Yukon gov't passes amendments to Residential Tenancies Act, scrapping rent control

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-28 21:04:27.0
Tags: [National, Housing, Affordability, Governance]

The Yukon government passed legislative amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act, effectively scrapping the territorial residential rent cap and permitting no-cause evictions. Backed by Yukon Party MLAs and spearheaded by Community Services Minister Cory Bellmore, the changes are scheduled to take effect on December 1, 2026. While the territorial government asserts that removing rent control will incentivize private-sector rental housing investment and increase long-term supply, housing advocates and opposition politicians have criticized the policy for exacerbating cost-of-living pressures for tenants.

Yukon minister directing ‘crackdown’ of tents outside Whitehorse shelter, but won’t say how

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-27 15:44:59.0
Tags: [National, Housing, Social Services, Public Safety, Governance]

Yukon Health and Social Services Minister Brad Cathers stated in the Yukon Legislative Assembly that he has directed his department to crack down on tents outside the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter at 405 Alexander St. The minister stated he instructed his department to collaborate with the Department of Justice, the Department of Highways and Public Works, the RCMP, and the City of Whitehorse bylaw services to remove the encampments. Liberal Party Leader and Vuntut Gwitchin MLA Debra-Leigh Reti criticized the lack of operational clarity regarding the plan and called for a dedicated task force to assess the needs of individuals outside the shelter. The announcement coincides with ongoing legislative debate surrounding proposed amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act and the elimination of rent control in the Yukon.

As the Yukon moves to lift rent control, we asked how many MLAs are landlords

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-23 11:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Housing, Affordability, Governance]

The Yukon government has tabled legislation to amend the territory's Residential Tenancies Act by lifting the residential rent cap and reintroducing no-cause evictions. CBC News analysis revealed that 6 of the territory's 21 MLAs (or roughly 28.6 per cent)—including four from the governing Yukon Party and two from the NDP—are landlords or have partners who are landlords, prompting conflict of interest concerns from the Official Opposition. However, the territorial conflict of interest commissioner determined that no conflict of interest exists regarding the vote because the legislative amendments apply broadly across the rental market rather than targeting specific properties or individuals.

Housing advocate fears removing rent control will thwart plan to end homelessness

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-15 19:45:44.0
Tags: [National, Housing, Affordability, Social Services, Governance]

The Yukon territorial government endorsed the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition's 112-page community action plan to end homelessness, titled A Place to Be, while simultaneously introducing a bill in the Legislative Assembly via Community Services Minister Cory Bellmore to repeal rent caps and reintroduce no-cause evictions. Kristina Craig, executive director of the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition, expressed concern that the elimination of rent control will jeopardize housing stability for current renters and undermine progress toward the plan's 29 recommendations. Scott Kent, the minister responsible for the Yukon Housing Corporation, stated that the government supports the plan's vision but declined to endorse its target of reducing homelessness by 50 percent in two years, while highlighting forthcoming housing developments such as 34 units at the former Korbo apartment site in Dawson City and 184 units delivered in partnership with the Da Daghay Development Corporation.

No new help for tenants facing end of rent cap, Yukon premier says

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-14 18:30:53.0
Tags: [National, Housing, Affordability, Governance]

Yukon Premier Currie Dixon's government introduced legislative amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act in the Yukon Legislative Assembly to eliminate pandemic-era rent caps tied to inflation and restore no-cause evictions, with the changes scheduled to take effect as early as December 1. Premier Dixon stated that the government has no plans to introduce new tenant subsidies beyond an existing federal-territorial housing subsidy program for low- and middle-income households. Housing advocates, the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition, and NDP Leader Kate White criticized the repeal, warning it will exacerbate affordability and cost-of-living pressures amidst a tight territory rental vacancy rate of 2.4 per cent and a Whitehorse vacancy rate of 1.5 per cent.

Yukon to eliminate rent control, allow no-cause evictions

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-09 01:34:16.0
Tags: [National, Housing, Affordability, Governance]

Yukon Community Services Minister Cory Bellmore introduced amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act in the Yukon Legislative Assembly to eliminate the territory's residential rent control cap and allow no-cause evictions effective December 1. The previous rent cap, enacted in 2021 by Sandy Silver's government under a deal with the NDP, limited annual rent increases to the average rate of inflation for the previous two years. Under the proposed amendments put forward by the Yukon Party government holding a legislative majority, landlords will be required to provide tenants with at least six months notice prior to implementing a rent increase or eviction, an increase from the previous three-month requirement. Opposition Leader and NDP Leader Kate White criticized the changes as devastating for housing affordability, while questioning whether government members who are landlords could be in a conflict of interest regarding the vote.

C-227 (45-1) - National Strategy on Housing for Young Canadians Act

Source: Parliament of Canada (LEGISinfo)
Date: 2026-10-05 16:52:21.0
Tags: [National, Housing, Affordability, Governance]

Private Member's Bill C-227, titled the National Strategy on Housing for Young Canadians Act and sponsored by Liberal Member of Parliament Braedon Clark, passed second reading in the House of Commons with a 169-152 vote on February 12, 2026. The legislation aims to establish a national strategy addressing housing challenges specifically facing young Canadians. Following its committee review by the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (TRAN), the bill was deemed reported back to the House without amendment on October 5, 2026.

Conservative MP Scott Aitchison officially signals his intent to resign later this fall

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-30 16:36:04.0
Tags: [National, Ontario, Governance, Housing]

Conservative MP Scott Aitchison, representative for the Ontario riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka and former housing critic, has officially announced his intention to resign his seat at the end of the fall sitting of Parliament, which is scheduled to conclude on December 11, 2026. Aitchison, who served as the former mayor of Huntsville and finished fifth in the 2022 Conservative Party leadership race won by Pierre Poilievre, cited a 30-year career in public life as he steps down. His departure adds to a series of recent parliamentary vacancies, leaving another open seat in the House of Commons alongside several other federal resignations.

Conservative MP Scott Aitchison expected to resign this fall: sources

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-29 21:06:24.0
Tags: [National, Ontario, Governance, Housing]

Conservative MP and former 2022 leadership candidate Scott Aitchison, who has represented the Ontario riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka since 2019, is expected to resign his seat at the end of the fall sitting. Aitchison previously served as the Conservative housing critic under party leader Pierre Poilievre after finishing fifth in the 2022 leadership race. His planned departure will add another vacancy to the House of Commons, joining several other recent federal parliamentary resignations and departures.

Whitehorse city council grants short-term rental operators licence grace period

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-29 20:33:06.0
Tags: [National, Housing, Municipal, Taxation, Governance]

The Whitehorse City Council unanimously voted to approve an overarching licensing bylaw for short-term rentals while granting operators a six-month grace period, moving the mandatory licensing deadline from October 1 to April 1. The delay responds to concerns from industry representatives, such as Neighbourly North president Ben Pereira, regarding tight implementation timelines and potential Canada Revenue Agency tax penalties that deny expense deductions for unlicensed short-term rentals. City planning officials noted that the regulatory framework is designed to address local housing pressures while giving operators time to comply.

Whitehorse city council backs away from vote on licensing bylaw for short-term rentals

Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-15 23:30:00.0
Tags: [National, Municipal, Housing, Taxation, Governance]

The Whitehorse city council delayed a final vote on a new municipal licensing bylaw for short-term rentals to allow city administration two weeks to review implementation timelines, transition periods, and potential Canada Revenue Agency tax implications. During the same meeting, the council voted to pass an amended bylaw reducing the single-unit licence surcharge to $176 for each additional unit on the same property where the operator resides. Previously, city zoning rules banned new standalone short-term rentals while grandfathering in existing ones indefinitely.