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    • Here's what Trudeau says the upcoming federal budget will offer renters

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    The federal government will create a new "Canadian Renters’ Bill of Rights," which would require landlords to disclose their properties’ rental price history to prospective tenants.

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement Wednesday in Vancouver, saying it's one of three new measures that will be part of the upcoming federal budget, which will also include a new housing aid fund and a push to have rental payments affect credit scores.

    Rental demand outpaced supply in most major markets across the county last year, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.'s (CMHC) review published in January. The average purpose-built two-bedroom apartment went for $1,359 per month, while condo rental costs sat at $2,049.

    Canada's overall vacancy rate fell to a new low at 1.5 per cent last year. Regionally, rates declined in most of Canada's larger cities, while rental costs surged.

    Tenants' rights advocates have long championed the concept of a rental registry, which could allow renters to see what the previous tenant paid for a unit before accepting a new rate.

    The incoming "Bill of Rights" aims to empower renters to "bargain fairly," a Wednesday press release said.

    Alongside it, Trudeau promised a $15-million fund for provincial legal aid services to "protect tenants against unfairly rising rent payments, renovictions, or bad landlords."

    "In today's Canada, more people are renting than ever before … Nearly two thirds of young Canadians rent their homes," he said, adding that younger people spend larger portions of their incomes on rent than other generations have.

    "Maybe young people want to start a family, but they don't know how they can afford something bigger than a one-bedroom apartment."

    The new rules will require significant buy-in from the provinces, which could be a "battle," Cedric Dussault, a tenants' advocate with Quebec-based organization RCLALQ, says.

    "To be frank, we're not sure this is really up to the federal government to enact," he told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview shortly after Trudeau's announcement, which he called "surprising."

    Dussault also threw cold water on the aid fund for provincial organizations.

    "It's better than nothing," he said. "It seems like a lot of money, but when we look at the whole country, at all the needs of all the tenants across the country, it will be used up quickly."

    Housing disputes can take years to make their way through the courts, Dussault explained, while staff salaries and legal consultation fees could also add up.

    "We are facing an explosion of demands from tenants," he said.

    Building credit scores

    The government will also amend the Canadian Mortgage Charter and "call on" banks and credit companies to incorporate rental payments into Canadians' credit history, the press release said.

    "This will make it easier for you to qualify for a mortgage, or even qualify you for a lower rate," Trudeau said, lamenting that a property owner can build their credit score while paying down their mortgage, but someone paying monthly rent cannot.

    "You're spending $2,000 a month on rent. That gives you no kudos. It gives you no credit," he said.

    Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced earlier this month that the 2024 federal budget will be presented on Tuesday, April 16.

    Noting that Canadians continue to feel the squeeze of inflation, while increasingly becoming preoccupied with looming mortgage renewals, Freeland signalled then that the budget would focus on housing, affordability and jobs, while balancing the need to remain "fiscally prudent" by limiting major new spending plans.

    With files from CTV News' Rachel Aiello

    IN DEPTH

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    CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

    The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

    Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn’t been seen since Wednesday morning.

    B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.

    Quebec Premier Francois Legault is calling on the Bloc Quebecois to topple the Trudeau government next Wednesday and trigger a federal election.

    Canada

    • B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.

    • Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn’t been seen since Wednesday morning.

    • Friends and strangers have set up a makeshift memorial outside the home of a five-year-old boy who was found dead yesterday in Coteau-du-lac.

    • The lawyer for a B.C. RCMP officer convicted of obstruction for telling a witness to delete cellphone video following the violent 2017 arrest of Dale Culver has requested a stay of proceedings.

    • The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

    World

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    Entertainment

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    • Viewers of Jeopardy got a chance to test their knowledge of trivia about B.C.'s biggest city Wednesday night.

    Business

    Lifestyle

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    Sports

    • Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he's been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season's playoffs.

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    Autos

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    Local Spotlight

    They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

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    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

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    A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

    David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

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    A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.

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    • Toronto police are asking for the public's help in identifying one of the suspected shooters in Tuesday's fatal double shooting in North York.

    • A pedestrian has been seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle in North York.

    • Students across York Region will once again see uniformed officers at school, however police and board officials say they will only be stopping by for the occasional safety presentation.

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    • The Parole Board of Canada says a man who assaulted a young pregnant woman and left her for dead remains too dangerous to be released into the community.

    • A Vulcan, Alta., man has been charged with a Lethbridge woman's murder after her body was found in the Oyen area.

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    • CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at things to do in Ottawa and eastern Ontario this weekend.

    • Quebec Premier Francois Legault is calling on the Bloc Quebecois to topple the Trudeau government next Wednesday and trigger a federal election.

    • A harrowing video has been presented to a jury at the trial of three men facing first-degree murder charges.

    • The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

    • Five bison are dead at Elk Island National Park east of Edmonton following an early Thursday morning collision.

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    • The mayor of Fort Saskatchewan apologized on Thursday for comments she made earlier this week about killing feral cats.

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    • A Winnipeg pet rescue is putting out a warning to dog owners across the city about a possible parvovirus in the province.

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    • Thomas Hamp says he believed secret police were out to kidnap, torture, and kill him when he fatally stabbed his girlfriend Emily Sanche in February of 2022.

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    • In a rare move, the Greater Victoria School District Board of Education has been slapped with a ministerial order from the province requiring it to update a student safety plan – drawing concern around political posturing leading up to an election.

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    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls – including one that gave birth to 10 puppies – from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • A Vulcan, Alta., man has been charged with a Lethbridge woman's murder after her body was found in the Oyen area.

    • A Lethbridge couple got a good reminder as to why you should keep your vehicle doors locked at all times.

    • Lethbridge residents who live near the police range can expect to hear plenty of shots fired Wednesday and Thursday.

    • A new community health profile in the Algoma District shows the area is significantly below provincial averages in a number of health metrics.

    • North Bay Police Service says one person has died following an industrial accident at the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission Rail Yard on Tuesday.

    • Three northern Ontario residents are charged with drug trafficking after the vehicle they were in got stuck along a bush road off Highway 17 on Monday.

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