As heatwaves burn their way across Canada this summer, renters face difficult and unique challenges in coping with the extreme temperatures.

While homeowners can take advantage of government incentives to adapt to the extreme heat, renters -- who make up 30 percent of the population -- have few options.

And even when governments try to offer help, experts say the solutions often fall short. 

A program hosted by B.C. Hydro made free portable air conditioners available to homeowners and renters. Almost 11,000 units were provided, with 40 per cent going to tenants. But to receive a free portable A/C unit, a letter stating medical need must be supplied by a health provider if tenants make above a certain amount of money. A survey by CMAJ reported that people with lower incomes are least likely to have a regular primary care provider.

Caroline Metz, managing director of climate resilience and health at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, says air conditioning is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cooling homes.

“We need mechanical cooling, and we need passive cooling,” Metz said in an interview with the IJF.

She explained a method of passive cooling gaining popularity in the U.S. was painting roofs white to reflect the sun’s rays, which lowers temperatures of properties.

“I don't think we can air condition our way out of the problem, because we're still left with a building that's not well adapted,” she said. “So you’re pumping cool air in or forcing cooler [air] into your environment, but it's leaking out because your insulation is poor. So until we address the older building stock and we make sure that those buildings are well adapted, the mechanical cooling can’t work as effectively.” 

Poor insulation is common in older buildings which low-income tenants often occupy, according to a publication by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Efficiency Canada is a research organization at Carleton University’s Sustainable Energy Research Centre in Ottawa. Director of Action Research Abhilash Kantamneni told the IJF that landlords may lack motivation to make energy-efficient upgrades to their rental properties. 

“None of the parties that are brought to the table have incentives, motivations or requirements to take action on this situation. Traditionally, you would call this a split incentive problem,” Kantamneni said.

“Landlords own the asset. In many cases they don’t pay the utility bills, so they don’t have the incentive to install energy efficiency measures to reduce energy costs for tenants who sometimes pay them. Tenants who pay the bills have no control over making structural upgrades and uptakes to the property they call home.” 

Kantamneni said that even in cases where landlords pay energy bills, covering the costs of the improvements can also prove challenging since this may involve above-guideline increases, allowing landlords to raise rents outside of existing rent control regulations. 

He said that for Canada to meet its climate and housing goals (specifically the 2030 emissions reduction plan and the National Housing Strategy Act), the government needs to incentivize renters, their landlords and developers to make energy efficiency upgrades in low-income rental units.

A policy brief from Efficiency Canada explains methods to successfully retrofit low-income housing stock, and it comes down to upholding tenant rights. 

The brief explains that an affordability covenant can create a win-win solution for landlords and tenants, so long as a third party ensures tenant rights are intact. 

A covenant would prohibit landlords from substantially raising rents because of efficiency upgrades done to the property. Tenants would have well-adapted homes that remain affordable, and landlords would enhance their properties without above guideline increases. This would advance Canada’s climate and housing goals, Kantamneni said.

Kantamneni said under the covenant tenants would benefit from an industry liaison to represent their opinions throughout the retrofit process, allowing for more adequate upgrades.

“The project teams that are developing these retrofits can learn and benefit from the lived experiences of tenants who can tell them that, in the winter, one room is draftier than the other,” Kantamneni said.

In the 2024 federal budget, the government launched a $900 million strategy for energy-efficient retrofits. Kanatmneni said that the government should demand that landlords prove property upgrades improve tenant quality of life and do not significantly increase rental prices.

Genrys Goodchild, a representative from the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO), a specialty legal clinic which represents low-income renters, suggested that temperature by-laws be implemented at a federal level and that air conditioning be recognized as a right to protect tenants from rising temperatures.

“Reports from several jurisdictions have found that indoor temperatures above 26°C increased the number of emergency calls due to cardiovascular and respiratory distress,” Goodchild said.

“In Ontario, under the Residential Tenancies Act, tenants must have access to vital services such as heat, hot and cold water, and electricity. Yet currently, the regulations do not include air conditioning as a vital service,” she said.

Goodchild said that other measures governments could take can include building and acquiring rental properties with the purpose of keeping them affordable to expand rental options for low-income tenants.

The Federation of Apartment Associations did not respond to a request for comment.

With files from Tori Marlan

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the eligibility criteria for a B.C. Hydro program. The article has been updated.