Even though vacancy rates are on the rise in Moose Jaw, it can still be difficult to find an affordable apartment. With that in mind, city council has once again stepped in to prevent apartments from being converted into condos.

Back in 2012, council passed a motion that would prevent conversions unless the vacancy rate was above 2%.  This past October, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reported vacancy rates hit 2.7%.  While no applications for conversion have come forward, council has still increased the threshold to 3% to block any conversions from happening.

Councillor Candis Kirkpatrick supported the increase saying there are some people who just can't afford to buy their home, whether it's a condo or a house, so they need someone to speak on their behalf.

"There needs to be affordable apartments for those people who are not in a position to do that." said Kirkpatrick. "Living in an apartment building, one of the biggest fears that you have is getting that notice in your mailbox saying that you have so long to find something else because your apartment is going to become a condo."

The majority of council supported the change but Councillor Brian Swanson did not and was very vocal in his opposition. He argued that City Hall is imposing rules on what landowners can do with their private property instead of letting the housing market dictate what happens.

"There are a number of apartments being constructed in Moose Jaw right now and I do not understand the need for City Hall to intrude itself further into the housing market when it (conversions) doesn't decrease housing stock and, most times, creates relatively low cost housing, entry level housing for people who can convert from renters to homeowners."

Councillor Swanson, Patrick Boyle and Dawn Luhning voted against the motion but were in the minority.

According to the December CMHC report, the main reason for the increase in the vacancy rate for 2013 was because of new apartments being constructed.  With even more multifamily units being completed this year, the vacancy rate is expected to rise again in 2014.