Alberta backtracks, bans rental evictions

April 15, 2020

The Alberta government has joined all other provinces and banned residential rental evictions, but the ban only applies to the month of April, though it may be extended.
Premier Jason Kenney had rejected calls for an eviction ban as late as March 27—before the latest models on the impact of COVID-19. These models suggest the crisis could lead to a huge spike in jobless numbers in the province, which is also suffering from a plunge in oil prices.
“No one will be evicted for non-payment of rent and/or utilities until after April 30, 2020,” according to a government release April 3.
“Effective immediately and until the state of public health emergency is lifted, landlords are required to work with residential and mobile home site tenants to work out a payment plan before an application for possession of the premises due to non-payment of rent will be considered,” the statement reads.
Additionally, the government has suspended civil enforcements of evictions for non-payment of residential rent until April 30, 2020.
Landlords who already have an order for possession of the premises from either the court or the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service cannot have a civil enforcement agency remove the tenant from the premises until after April 30.
Rent increases will also be frozen, even if increases were planned or announced already, according to the government.
All other Canadian provinces and territories have banned rental evictions for two months to whenever the pandemic crisis ends. B.C. is the only province providing direct aid to landlords in the form of a $500 payment for each of the next three months.