Premier John Horgan says he’s making good on his pledge to address housing affordability in British Columbia. In recognition of National Housing Day, he issued the following statement.
“Too many British Columbians are struggling to find housing they can afford. Some B.C. cities are among the least affordable housing markets in the country.That’s why we are working with partners to build new, affordable homes for people in every region of B.C., starting with 1,700 affordable rentals, and 2,000 modular homes with 24/7 supports, for our most vulnerable residents.”
Since September, the Premier said his government has confirmed more than 900 modular homes in communities throughout the province, including Terrace, Prince Rupert, Smithers, Surrey, Vancouver and Vernon.
Last Wednesday Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, announced the creation of a partnership between the Province and the City of Vernon to develop two new modular-housing projects in the community.
The Minister said the $11 million dollar investment will fund a 53-unit supportive housing complex and a 45-bed expansion of a shelter operated by the John Howard Society at 2300 43rd Street.
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In his statement, Horgan continued that the spring budget will contain further measures to address housing affordability by increasing supply, addressing demand, and delivering on a comprehensive housing strategy for the province, and the government intends to make renting “more fair for landlords and tenants” by closing loopholes in the law and helping people resolve rental disputes faster.
“Fixing the problem won’t be easy,” Horgan said. “Making homes affordable for families will require partnerships at every level of government. It will take bringing together Indigenous leaders, post-secondary institutions, non-profits and developers to find solutions for people. Together can we effectively address the need for the cost of local homes to match local incomes.”
In a statement issued by The Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century (CCPH21) today, the watchdog group said they commend the government on its investment of $40 billion over 10 years to support a national housing strategy.
“There is a clear relationship between health outcomes, and the availability, affordability and quality of housing,” said Eric Mang, co-chair of CCPH21.
“Until today, Canada was the only G7 country without a national housing strategy; we’re very pleased that the government has chosen to act.”
In its June 2017 position statement on core housing need, CCPH21 called on the Government of Canada to collaborate with provinces, territories and Indigenous peoples’ governance organizations to:
- Develop a National Housing Strategy and housing policies that address all aspects of core housing need throughout the country;
- Support an Indigenous Housing Strategy that is developed and implemented by Indigenous peoples and reflects their needs; and
- Provide adequate funding to respond specifically to those populations and regions that are in the greatest core housing need, while fostering equitable approaches to meet the developing needs in the rest of the country.
“We know that poor housing conditions are linked to increased morbidity from infectious diseases including respiratory illness, poor mental health, chronic illness and injury. This new national housing strategy will help improve collaboration among provinces and territories, municipalities, and the private sector to address this issue head on and tailor solutions that meet specific populations and regions’ needs,” said Ian Culbert, CCPH21 co-chair.
“The challenge now is to ensure that funding is directed—as quickly as possible—on a priority basis to those with the greatest need. We value this important work and look forward to seeing more government action specifically on issues related to Indigenous people’s housing.”
Morning Star Staff