Latest news with #JillBalser
CBC
28-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
No takers to redevelop Upper Clements Park site
It used to be a bustling tourist attraction boasting one of Canada's only wooden roller coasters, but now the former site of Upper Clements Park is a deserted chunk of land no one is in a hurry to buy. A request for proposals issued this year to redevelop the 26-hectare property has closed without a single official bid. Coun. Jon Welch, who represents the area, said it's back to the drawing board for Annapolis County municipal council. It will likely look to redefine the request for proposals and hopefully drum up new interest six years after the theme park near Annapolis Royal closed its gates for good. "I think we were looking for anything that would help return the land to some form of productive, community-orientated use," Welch told CBC Radio's Information Morning Nova Scotia. "We were leaning pretty heavily toward some form of housing." Aging infrastructure The theme park opened in 1989 and Welch said he thinks developers could be reluctant to take on the cost of replacing the site's aging infrastructure, including water and septic systems. Demolition of the theme park's attractions and buildings has already taken place, except for a few buildings "that were in decent enough shape," said Welch. He said he met recently with Jill Balser, the PC MLA for Digby-Annapolis, and they talked about how the province may be able to help improve the infrastructure to be more desirable to develop. Welch said there is probably some disappointment and concern within the community over the lack of progress to redevelop the site, but he believes people understand that it takes time to find the right fit. "I think a lot of residents in the area have a very strong emotional connection with the site as it does have a long history as a community landmark," said Welch. Park closed for good in 2019 Upper Clements Park originally cost the Nova Scotia government $23 million to build in 1989. The park was privately operated between 1994 and 1997 before a non-profit society took over. The park received injections of public money over the years amid falling visitor numbers. In 2017, the province agreed to put $300,000 toward maintenance of Upper Clement Park's buildings, rides and attractions. The cash-strapped park shut down two years later. In 2020, Annapolis County council bought the site for $600,000 to be redeveloped as a private boarding school and advanced $1.8 million for the project. The $62-million Gordonstoun school project was described by the warden at the time as a "game changer" that would bring significant spending and employment to the area. But the land transfer and lease decision were ruled illegal in 2021 by the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. The court's decision said the outgoing council disregarded provincial legislation when it voted on the matter after a municipal election and before a new council was to be sworn in. Proposals 'have to benefit the public' Welch said the latest council wants to "do this right, not just do it." "Any projects that we are looking at I think have to be financially viable and they have to benefit the public and they should be sensitive to the site's history and potential," said Welch. "So I think we'll continue to welcome any serious well-developed proposals and we'll explore new pathways forward."
Winnipeg Free Press
15-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
No action against Nova Scotia rent loophole out of fears for housing supply: minister
HALIFAX – Service Nova Scotia Minister Jill Balser says her department won't crack down on instances of abuse involving fixed-term rental leases because it doesn't want to affect the housing supply. Balser says that could be an 'unintended consequence' of a crackdown on landlords who abuse fixed-term leases to get around the province's five per cent cap on rent increases. However, she was unable to specify exactly how the housing supply would be affected, despite repeated questioning by reporters. The Opposition NDP and the Liberals both say Balser's explanation for not acting doesn't make sense. Interim Liberal leader Derek Mombourquette has suggested the government wants to give landlords a loophole to get around the rent cap that is in place until the end of 2027. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Balser denies that suggestion. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.
CBC
15-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Minister has no plans to address so-called fixed-term lease loophole
Nova Scotia's minister responsible for the Residential Tenancies Act denies her government is providing landlords with a way around the provincial rent cap, but she also confirmed Thursday there are no plans to do anything that would help prevent the abuse of fixed-term leases. Jill Balser told reporters following a cabinet meeting in Halifax that the cap on rent increases created disruptions to the housing market and her government doesn't want to make any other changes that could further affect supply at a time when vacancy rates are showing signs of improvement. "For us at this point in time, the focus on supply is changing the housing market," she said. "So knowing that Nova Scotians will have choice is really our focus." 'Now they have options' Balser said renters are beginning to have more choices about where to live, with some landlords offering incentives to sign a lease as the vacancy rate increases in some cases. "If a particular unit is not where they want to be or perhaps it's a lease that they don't necessarily want to sign, now they have options and that's really the environment and the place that we want to get to." It's important that people ask questions and know what they're getting into before signing a lease, said Balser. For people who find themselves in a situation where they think the rules are being broken, the residential tenancies program is there to help, she said. The provincial rent cap applies to a unit as long as a tenant with a periodic lease lives there. When they move out, rents can be adjusted above the five per cent cap. However, there is a prevailing concern among housing advocates that some landlords are switching tenants to fixed-term leases because it is easier to move those tenants out for a new tenant, for whom the cap would not apply. Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette said there is no reason for the government to continue to allow abuse to happen without any kind of response. "I don't buy this idea that there are these unforeseen circumstances if they don't correct this," he told reporters. "They could act on this, they could support a lot of people across this province, and they won't." NDP housing critic Susan Leblanc said Balser's explanation for why her government will not address concerns about fixed-term leases "doesn't make any sense." "People come into my office every single day worried about getting evicted or not being able to find a place to live when their fixed-term lease runs out. So the government's focus does not seem to be on them," she told reporters. "I don't know where it is, but we need to focus on the people who are most vulnerable."
