Chender questions government’s housing plan as rents and homelessness rise in Halifax

HALIFAX – Today at the Public Accounts Committee, Official Opposition Leader Claudia Chender, asked about progress on the government’s five-year, $1.7 billion housing plan. Three years in, Nova Scotia is now the most expensive province to sign a new lease and the gap between home prices and what Nova Scotians can afford is the worst in the country. Homelessness has doubled in Halifax since the government announced its housing plan.

“Since this housing plan was launched, things have only gotten worse for renters and new homeowners in Halifax. While rents are coming down in Ontario and B.C., prices are rising here,” said Chender. “ Instead of patting themselves on the back for their plan, the Houston government needs to pay attention to the reality Nova Scotians are facing today. Students, young families, and seniors are having a hard time affording their homes.

This government needs to increase the supply of homes people can actually afford, create more protections for renters, and focus on keeping people in the apartments and homes they can afford, not on some future date, but right now. For years, the Liberals and PCs have refused to close the fixed-term lease loophole that lets landlords hike up rents and now Halifax is one of the most expensive cities in the country.”

Government witnesses admitted more clearly needs to be done but couldn’t explain why the work so far hasn’t made homes more affordable. The government has already spent three quarters of the housing plan’s budget, but rents are still going up, more than 2000 people are homeless, and only 32 of the 63,000 homes announced for special planning areas are actually affordable.

“This isn’t a small problem. We need to be using every tool available to make sure people are able to build the lives they want here at home,” said Chender. “Young people won’t be able to stay if they can’t afford their home. Seniors will continue to struggle if rents keep rising out of control. Fixing this problem means taking action today that makes sure homes in our province become more affordable.”

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