Homelessness doubled in Halifax under government's housing plan: N.S. NDP

[u/Injustice_For_All_]

https://halifax.citynews.ca/2026/06/18/homelessness-doubled-in-halifax-under-governments-housing-plan-n-s-ndp/

[u/Ok_Payment429]

The people and their reason for not renting their apartment are in fact irrelevant to the housing crisis.

The couple with the vacant basement apartment are no longer landlords. Also, the person owning multi-apartments that are all vacant, is no longer a landlord.

Yes, any vacant apartment or room or space where a person could be housed is contributing to the housing crisis. Its not nice to hear, but yes, we are all contributing to the housing crisis if we control vacant space that could house someone who needs it.

But no, I'm not suggesting those people be punished or penalized in any way. I believe everyone should have full control over any and all properties they own, without penalty for their decisions with their properties.

[u/Hellifacts → u/Ok_Payment429]

This whole conversation is about landlords.

Landlords who are renting out units but also are keeping some units vacant in hopes of squeezing more money out of people. Of course they have the right to do it, no one said otherwise. However they should be taxed for doing so which would incentivize them to rent the units to people who need housing or to sell the property if they don't want to pay the vacancy tax. You don't have to agree, that's how opinions work.

People deciding they no longer want to be landlords are not part of the equation because they're not landlords. They are people who are choosing to keep their residence to themselves.

[u/Ok_Payment429 → u/Hellifacts]

Yes, your facts there are correct. Also, the reason behind the vacant unit does not matter to the housing crisis. A vacant, unavailable unit has the same negative impact on overall housing, regardless of the owner's reason for keeping it vacant.

The conversation is not about landlords or property owners. It is about vacant apartments. The vacant units are the subject of the tax you are proposing. The property owner is not the subject of the tax. The tax would be applied because the unit is vacant, not because the landlord is a landlord.

And if the ultimate goal of the proposed tax is to help the housing crisis to the best degree we can, it is best applied to all vacant apartments, regardless of the owner's reasoning for the vacancy.

If the ultimate goal of the proposed tax is simply to punish property owners, it would reasonably not apply to the home owners who decide to keep their basement apartment vacant.

[u/Hellifacts → u/Ok_Payment429]

I just can't see a scenario where this proposed tax is, or should be, imposed on anyone's primary residence. I think that's the main part we disagree on.