INSight Blog
HRM Budget
‘May have to lose my house’: Concern as Halifax considers double-digit property tax hike Halifax Regional Council is reviewing options to reduce a projected 10.5% average property-tax increase after residents warned they cannot absorb another major escalation in...
Development
Rising land costs hamper industrial development in Atlantic Canada Developers across Atlantic Canada report that rapidly escalating land prices are making industrial projects more difficult to advance. According to industry analysts, higher acquisition costs—combined...
HRM Budget
HRM Budget Direction 2026–27 – Snapshot HRM’s draft Budget Direction projects an average 10.5% increase to the municipal tax bill for 2026–27. Rising compensation costs, reserve replenishment, inflationary pressures, and previously approved commitments are driving an...
Development
Non-market housing to replace deteriorating St. Theresa’s building in Halifax Halifax’s aging St. Theresa’s building is slated for redevelopment into affordable, non-market housing. Community advocates have raised concerns for years about deteriorating conditions at...
Household Debt
Canadian Household Debt Surges — But It Wasn’t Driven by Mortgages Data from Statistics Canada show that household credit in Canada climbed by $14.8 billion (+0.5 %) in September to reach $3.14 trillion, its fastest monthly gain since 2021. Over the prior 12 months,...
Porter Response: Nova Scotia Already Has a Law to Protect Tenants
Jacqueline Porter’s latest submission to the Chronicle Herald leaves out a lot of relevant facts about the reality of rental housing in Nova Scotia.
More talk won’t build the housing Nova Scotians need
A year ago, spurred by the work undertaken by the Nova Scotia Affordable Housing Commission, the Investment Property Owners Association of Nova Scotia (IPOANS) asked the longstanding economic analysis firm Gardner Pinfold to prepare a detailed report on Nova Scotia’s rental housing affordability.
Kevin Russell Guest Column
IPOANS recommended the government consider creating a “Rent Bank” to help renters who are unable to pay their rent due to experiencing financing difficulties.
It is false for politicians
It is false for politicians, activists or the media to describe fixed-term leases as a “loophole” – fixed-term leases are a legal tool to provide more flexibility and protection to house more people. Protection of existing tenants, protection of existing neighborhoods and protection of existing housing that is not free or even cheap to operate and maintain.
Construction
Halifax building construction costs rise 3.4% year-over-year in Q3 2025 Statistics Canada reports that residential building construction prices in Halifax increased 3.4% between Q3 2024 and Q3 2025, slightly above the national average of 3.3%. Among 15 major urban...
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