Provincial Housing Minister tells Federal Government to reinvest in Housing

“We need a national housing plan — one that includes the creation of new affordable housing opportunities and maintains our existing social housing units.” That was the message from Linda Jeffrey, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, when she visited CCOC’s 258 Lisgar on National Housing Day last November.

Properties like 258 Lisgar benefitted from subsidized mortgages funded by the federal government. As these mortgages are fully paid off, the federal government is not reinvesting that spending into new housing or into repairing older affordable housing.

The federal government will ultimately save $1.7 billion.

At the same time that the federal government withdraws this spending, non-profit and co-op housing across the country is in urgent need of repair, and in desperate need of financial assistance. There is also a critical need to build new affordable housing: in our city alone there are tens of thousands of households that can’t afford the market rent for a decent home.

“In the past, Ottawa took a leadership role in building the current housing system, it appears as if the federal government is walking away from that commitment, and that’s shameful,” said Minister Jeffrey. We couldn’t agree more.“We need a national housing plan — one that includes the creation of new affordable housing opportunities and maintains our existing social housing units.” That was the message from Linda Jeffrey,Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, when she visited CCOC’s 258 Lisgar on National Housing Day last November.

Properties like 258 Lisgar benefitted from subsidized mortgages funded by the federal government. As these mortgages are fully paid off, the federal government is not reinvesting that spending into new housing or into repairing older affordable housing.

The federal government will ultimately save $1.7 billion.

At the same time that the federal government withdraws this spending, non-profit and co-op housing across the country is in urgent need of repair, and in desperate need of financial assistance. There is also a critical need to build new affordable housing: in our city alone there are tens of thousands of household that can’t afford the market rent for a decent home.

“In the past, Ottawa took a leadership role in building the current housing system, it appears as if the federal government is walking away from that commitment, and that’s shameful,” said Minister Jeffrey. We couldn’t agree more.