With proponents of rent control ramping up efforts to pressure the Alberta government, a remarkable thing has been happening in the background: rents have actually been coming down.

For the first time since February 2021, the average rent in Calgary declined — for a one-bedroom apartment, the average was down 2.5 per cent from the previous month and down 1.1 per cent from the previous year, while the decline for a two-bedroom apartment was even more pronounced. That’s according to the latest report from Rentals.ca, which showed rents were also down in a number of major Canadian cities.

That obviously doesn’t erase the increases we’ve seen in recent years nor guarantee that rents will continue to decline. However, it certainly puts to rest the notion that government price controls are all that stand between us and perpetually increasing rents (imposed by greedy landlords).

Nonetheless, the group Alberta ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) has been targeting various UCP MLAs with protests and........

© Calgary Herald