Stop Alberta Evictions For Unpaid Rent During COVID-19 Pandemic
The Issue
COVID-19 has caused the collapse of Alberta's already fragile economy, and tens of thousands of Albertans have lost, or face losing, their employment or sources of income. This includes temporary or permanent lay-offs, reduced hours of work, cancelled gigs, or potential or actual exposure to the novel coronavirus.
Albertans of all walks of life are facing one of the most challenging and stressful times of their generation, and on top of this, many of those facing a loss of employment are also facing imminent eviction from their landlords. Over one-half of Albertans live paycheck-to-paycheck, meaning they will not be able to afford rent when April 1st rolls around. And that's no April Fool's joke.
Jason Kenney, Premier of Alberta, has stated that he believes most landlords will do the right thing, as, in his words, "it makes no economic sense for them to evict tenants for missing April rent ... because who else is going to fill those units?". However, not every landlord will use the same approach, and some landlords are looking for an excuse to evict a tenant they dislike, and not every landlord is going to believe that their units remain unfillable. Based on Premier Kenney's flawed logic, we shouldn't have needed the Government of Alberta to pass emergency measures to fine people who are breaking self-isolation public health orders.
We are calling on the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and Premier Jason Kenney, to step up and put a halt to evictions for unpaid rent in Alberta until the COVID-19 public health crisis has subsided in Alberta. The most-impacted Albertans are going to be those who live paycheck-to-paycheck, and most landlords have the greater ability to absorb short-term financial difficulties compared to their tenants. Further, an evicted tenant is likely to lose their damage deposit, and will not be able to find housing, which may lead to homelessness, and a potential increase in the spread of COVID-19 as folks who might otherwise be self-isolating seek refuge with friends and family.
Do the right thing - halt evictions due to unpaid rent in Alberta before April 1st, 2020.
The Issue
COVID-19 has caused the collapse of Alberta's already fragile economy, and tens of thousands of Albertans have lost, or face losing, their employment or sources of income. This includes temporary or permanent lay-offs, reduced hours of work, cancelled gigs, or potential or actual exposure to the novel coronavirus.
Albertans of all walks of life are facing one of the most challenging and stressful times of their generation, and on top of this, many of those facing a loss of employment are also facing imminent eviction from their landlords. Over one-half of Albertans live paycheck-to-paycheck, meaning they will not be able to afford rent when April 1st rolls around. And that's no April Fool's joke.
Jason Kenney, Premier of Alberta, has stated that he believes most landlords will do the right thing, as, in his words, "it makes no economic sense for them to evict tenants for missing April rent ... because who else is going to fill those units?". However, not every landlord will use the same approach, and some landlords are looking for an excuse to evict a tenant they dislike, and not every landlord is going to believe that their units remain unfillable. Based on Premier Kenney's flawed logic, we shouldn't have needed the Government of Alberta to pass emergency measures to fine people who are breaking self-isolation public health orders.
We are calling on the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and Premier Jason Kenney, to step up and put a halt to evictions for unpaid rent in Alberta until the COVID-19 public health crisis has subsided in Alberta. The most-impacted Albertans are going to be those who live paycheck-to-paycheck, and most landlords have the greater ability to absorb short-term financial difficulties compared to their tenants. Further, an evicted tenant is likely to lose their damage deposit, and will not be able to find housing, which may lead to homelessness, and a potential increase in the spread of COVID-19 as folks who might otherwise be self-isolating seek refuge with friends and family.
Do the right thing - halt evictions due to unpaid rent in Alberta before April 1st, 2020.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 26 March 2020