VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is crediting its anti-speculation policies with a decline in rental asking prices.

Rentals.ca says in its December report that B.C.’s average rent has fallen 6.8 per cent year-to-year to just short of an average monthly rental price of $2,400, the sharpest rate of decline among the regions measured in Canada.

Alberta saw a drop of 5.7 per cent to an average price of $1,775 in the same report, while Ontario’s average rent fell 3.8 per cent to just short of $2,300, but Saskatchewan saw a rise of 3.9 per cent to $1,490.

The report also showed Vancouver leading other major Canadian cities in rent decline, with a drop of 6.6 per cent year-to-year, just ahead of Calgary’s 6.5 per cent decrease.

The Ministry of Housing says the province’s rental aski

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