Dal Legal Aid delivers misleading report on rental housing ownership
For Immediate Release
September 11, 2026
HALIFAX, NS – Rental Housing Providers Nova Scotia (RHPNS) says a new report published by Dalhousie Legal Aid presents an incomplete picture of the region’s rental housing market by excluding thousands of smaller rental properties that house Nova Scotians.
“The discussion around housing affordability is important, and research, data and evidence are essential to making the right choices,” said Kevin Russell, Executive Director of RHPNS. “Unfortunately, Dal Legal Aid’s ‘Who Owns Halifax?’ report cherry-picks information and leaves out a major part of the rental housing sector. A significant portion of Halifax’s rental housing stock was excluded by Dal Legal Aid, and that matters when drawing broader conclusions about the market.”
RHPNS noted that Dal Legal Aid’s report focuses exclusively on larger apartment buildings and excludes properties with four or fewer units, which account for 88 per cent of the properties listed in Halifax Regional Municipality’s Landlord Registry.
“How can anybody believe what Dal Legal Aid claims when it considers only 12 per cent of the properties listed in HRM’s Landlord Registry?” added Russell. “It is another dishonest attack from activists targeting the hard-working men and women who own and operate housing in our province.”
Russell noted that smaller properties represent a substantial portion of Halifax’s rental housing supply and are often owned by local individuals, families and small businesses. Many of these properties—including duplexes, triplexes, secondary suites and small apartment buildings—provide some of the more attainable rental options available to Nova Scotians and play an important role in the existing housing system.
“Any assessment of Halifax’s housing market should account for both large apartment buildings and the thousands of smaller rental properties that serve tenants across the region,” said Russell. “Those homes are an important source of rental housing for Nova Scotians and should be part of any conversation about affordability and housing supply.”
Nova Scotia continues to experience strong population growth and increasing demand for housing, underscoring the importance of a stable policy environment that supports housing construction, renovation and long-term investment. RHPNS says housing providers of all sizes are essential partners in meeting the province’s housing needs.
“The Nova Scotia government needs to make policy decisions based on real, independent data—not activists selecting whatever information suits their agenda,” said Russell.
RHPNS welcomes continued discussion on housing affordability and looks forward to working with governments, researchers, housing providers and tenant advocates on practical solutions that increase housing supply and improve affordability.
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Media Contact:
Kevin Russell
C: 902.789.0946
E: kevin@rhpns.ca