NSNDP

October 13th, 2021

Housing crisis must be debated on the floor of the House

HALIFAX -- The NDP Caucus will call for an emergency debate on the housing crisis today at Province House. For too long the issue of affordable, accessible housing has been ignored.

“People are really struggling to find an affordable place to rent, or to save for a down-payment for a house. The NDP is focused on addressing both the lack of affordability and the lack of supply,” said NDP Leader Gary Burrill. “There is a road forward out of the housing crisis. We can make sure that every single person in our province has access to decent, healthy housing. What’s required is the political will on the part of the Conservative government to actually address the problem.”

The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Halifax went up by 20 per cent between January 2020, and January 2021. The average price to buy a home increased by over $100,000 between June 2020 and June 2021.

“Thousands of families who rent their homes worry every day about the next big increase. And the dream of buying a home is moving out of reach for more and more people,” said NDP Housing spokesperson Suzy Hansen. “Rent control is a key part of the solution and we need to build more affordable housing now.”

Today, the NDP will also table legislation to recognize housing as a human right and create permanent rent control in Nova Scotia.

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