Achi news desk-
Landlords must respect everyone’s human rights.
That’s the title of a news release issued by the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission on Monday following an increase in allegations of discriminatory practices in the province’s rental housing market.
The commission reminds landlords and other housing providers that discrimination based on any of the 16 protected grounds under the New Brunswick Human Rights Act — which includes race, colour, ancestry or social condition — is illegal.
The commission specifically notes a number of alleged cases of housing discrimination due to family status, most notably for those with children.
Tobin LeBlanc Haley, co-founder of the New Brunswick Tenants’ Rights Coalition, said she experienced that kind of discrimination firsthand when she and her partner moved back to the province in 2019. Haley predicted that finding a place to rent easily and never guessed. her young child would cause any problems.
“This particular landlord told me you can’t rent in X building, you have to rent in this other building because we only allow kids on certain floors or whatever or certain units, but hey, that’s it” n violation of my human rights,” Haley recalls.
It is not just families that are allegedly being targeted. The commission has also received complaints about the refusal of housing from residents with physical or mental disabilities, as well as those who depend on a service animal. Although some landlords do not allow pets, service animals do not fall under that category and a potential tenant cannot be refused a place for that reason.
The Human Rights Commission says in 2022-23, complaints relating to housing (which includes rents) rose from just four to 13 per cent of the total number of complaints received by the commission. Haley says that percentage is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how many residents deal with discrimination issues.
“Because tenants in New Brunswick live without the protections that so many other tenants in the country have access to, there may be a similar fear in pursuing the complaint,” says Haley “If you experience discrimination when trying to rent and you’ You’re just trying to find a place to live or if you’re trying to think about a relationship with the landlord in order to keep your own home and you’ve experienced discrimination, it’s another process whole to go to the commission and start making the complaint.”
If a landlord is caught discriminating against certain grounds, it is not clear how they can be reprimanded. The chair of the New Brunswick tenant advocacy group Acorn Nichola Taylor says she has not heard of any cases where a landlord has been punished for their actions.
“What is the penalty if a landlord does this,” asks Taylor. “Does anyone know? It’s not clear and it’s not written so if a landlord discriminates against someone, how is that landlord punished, how is that landlord punished? That has to be clear and transparent as this is something that is very serious.”
Taylor says laws in New Brunswick tend to favor landlords over tenants, and the best thing renters can do to prepare themselves for any situation they encounter when dealing with their landlords is to know their rights.
“There is a lot of information on the internet through the government,” Taylor said. “So you can look at their site and you’ll find out what tenants’ rights are, and how you can start the process if you need to complain against your landlord for whatever reason.”
The commission also notes that not all housing issues fall under the Human Rights Act, and advises renters to check the Residential Tenancies Act on the Renting in New Brunswick website.
