The Alberta government is moving forward with Bill 23, the
Commercial Tenancies Protection Act
(“CTPA”). The Bill was tabled in
the Legislative Assembly on June 16, 2020 and passed First Reading
the same day. This is a government Bill, so is likely to be pushed
through the legislative approval process and come into force within
days, or a few weeks at the latest. You can read the draft CTPA by
clicking here.
While residential tenancies have been regulated by government
for generations, it has been decades since Alberta has had any
significant legislation regulating commercial tenancies. The CTPA
has been put forward in response to the commercial tenancy problems
arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting public health
orders. As the CTPA says in its preamble: “commercial tenants
should not be subject to undue consequences, eviction or other
termination of their tenancy because of circumstances beyond their
control caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
