Fall sitting must address Houston's housing failures

HALIFAX– As the fall sitting of the legislature begins, Nova Scotia New Democrats are focused on the housing crisis and real ways to address the cost-of-living crunch that is hurting Nova Scotians.

“As we’ve been saying for years, housing is at the top of the list of challenges of people we speak to across the province,” said NSNDP leader Claudia Chender. “We have clear proposals to solve the housing crisis, and going back into the legislature, our focus is on creating the political will to act on the housing crisis. When I travel the province and talk to people, they are concerned about their friends, families, and neighbours. We want the government to show that same concern, and to take action.”

The Nova Scotia NDP will table legislation this sitting to allow municipalities to set a tax on vacant land that will encourage development and disincentivize “land banking” by developers, along with other bills to protect from unfair evictions and address the housing and affordability crisis.

“In our constituencies and communities across the province people are struggling when it comes to finding and keeping an affordable place to live,” said NSNDP House Leader Susan Leblanc. “In the last week or two, we have seen the start of some action from the Houston government following constant pressure from our NSNDP caucus and housing advocates. We will continue pushing during this legislative sitting and beyond until the government takes the urgent action that’s needed to ensure everyone has a home they can afford.”

This week, the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia noted over 1,000 people are actively homeless in HRM. The cost of rent and mortgages are up significantly making it harder for most Nova Scotians to afford a home.

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