“Nova Scotia Renters Face High Affordability Burden”

In Nova Scotia, renters face a higher affordability burden compared to other provinces, as per recent calculations by real estate company Turner Drake & Partners. Turner Drake & Partners introduced a new tool this month called the Residential Market Pressure Index to evaluate and compare housing markets nationwide. This index rates each Canadian province and the country as a whole on a scale of 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more significant housing affordability challenges.

The firm’s report accompanying the index scores highlights the need for Nova Scotia to address entrenched affordability issues. Rental burden is one of four key factors contributing to a jurisdiction’s overall score, alongside ownership burden, supply efficiency, and demand pressure from population growth.

Although Nova Scotia ranks highest for rental burden, it does not hold the top spot in the overall index. Ontario led in the second quarter of 2025, with Nova Scotia ranking second. The third-quarter update shared by Turner Drake with CBC News places British Columbia at the forefront, followed by Ontario and then Nova Scotia in the overall rankings, with Nova Scotia maintaining the lead in rental burden.

Created by Jigme Choerab, the manager of Turner Drake’s economic intelligence unit, the index aims to offer a comprehensive snapshot of the housing market for comparative analysis. Choerab emphasized that the index serves to identify problems rather than prescribe solutions, leaving it up to academics and policymakers to address the challenges highlighted.

Nova Scotia Housing Minister John White declined an interview request, while Chrissy Matheson from the Department of Growth and Development acknowledged that Turner Drake’s findings align with their awareness of the situation. The department has been actively working to bolster housing supply in the province through initiatives such as increased housing starts and rent supplements.

Ren Thomas, an associate professor at Dalhousie University’s school of planning, noted that Turner Drake’s findings validate the ongoing struggle for affordable rental housing in Nova Scotia despite recent increases in housing construction and vacancy rates. Thomas emphasized the importance of distinguishing between market and non-market housing, highlighting the success of provinces like Quebec in prioritizing non-market housing solutions.

Nova Scotia has taken steps to expand public housing and encourage non-profits to invest in rental housing. However, Thomas cautioned that significant growth in the non-market housing sector may take several years to alleviate the province’s affordability challenges.

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