Nova Scotia government promises to help Halifax tenants without power for two weeks

The Scotian, an apartment building at 5222 Green St. in Halifax is shown on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Keith Doucette

HALIFAX — Tenants who have been without power in a downtown Halifax apartment building for the last two weeks will be given priority at the provincial office that enforces tenancy laws, says Nova Scotia minister Jill Balser.

Balser, minister responsible for the Residential Tenancies Act, says cases involving The Scotian apartment building on Green Street will be treated as an emergency. “That means there won’t be a wait period, we will address them as quickly and timely as possible given the circumstances,” the minister said in an interview late Monday.

Balser said the government is concerned by the situation but she didn’t give specific details on how the province would solve the problem. The minister urged tenants to come forward to the residential tenancies program if they require help in resolving issues with their leases at the building.

“It’s very concerning,” she said. “We want to be able to find a positive resolution for these particular tenants and the way in which we can do that is through the residential tenancy program.”

Balser said she understands that some tenants are concerned about being evicted or what happens in cases in which some of the apartments have been classified as uninhabitable because of damage.

“All of those questions will be addressed when a residential tenancy officer is attached to the file,” she said.

Power has been out at the 50-unit building since Aug. 27, and tenants have complained that it’s been difficult to get information from property manager Templeton Properties. Templeton has not returned requests for comment, and tenants say the outage was caused by flooding that affected electrical panels.

The tenants’ case has been taken up by New Democrat Lisa Lachance, the member of the legislature for the area where the building is located. The NDP has been pushing the provincial government to improve the Residential Tenancies Enforcement Act so renters are better protected from being charged full rent when essential services are interrupted.

The Scotian resident Teddie McKay told The Canadian Press on Saturday that tenants have been charged for September’s rent, and a number were told they would have to vacate the premises due to damage.

On Tuesday Lachance issued a statement saying Balser has to do more than offer tenants the services of a tenancy case officer.

“The minister is aware of the conditions people have been forced to live in,” Lachance said. “She’s known that these tenants are living without power for more than two weeks; it’s wrong for her to push the issue back on these tenants rather than actually helping.”

Lachance said the issue at stake is “bigger than one building,” adding that it’s about the government’s failure to protect renters.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2025.

By Keith Doucette