Chender calls for federal deal to lower housing costs and reduce Halifax traffic

HALIFAX – On Tuesday, Official Opposition Leader Claudia Chender called on Premier Houston to sign a deal with the federal government to make the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) more affordable and functional for residents.

Chender is urging Houston to use federal funds to invest in programs that keep more truly affordable apartments and homes in the city and fund the Joint Regional Transportation Authority report to expand rapid transit and ferry service in HRM.

“Rents in Halifax continue to rise while they drop across Canada. People are spending hours in their cars and hundreds of dollars in gas each week just trying to get to work or drop their kids at school,” said Chender. “There are hundreds of millions of dollars on the table from the federal government. Tim Houston needs to make a deal and use that money to build housing people can actually afford, and make it easier and cheaper for people to get where they’re going each day.”

The federal government has put $366 million dollars on the table for Nova Scotians through the Build Communities Strong Fund which can be used for housing and post-secondary education capital infrastructure. The Canada Public Transit Fund includes $25 billion over 10 years for public transit infrastructure. Ontario and Quebec have already signed deals with Ottawa.

“We can build functional, affordable cities when we make different choices,” said Chender. “We can make sure renters don’t get hit with price hikes year after year. We can make sure commuters from Bedford, Sackville, Hants County, and Lunenburg don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for gas and parking every day. That starts with getting a deal from Ottawa that works for Nova Scotians.”

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