NDP slams Housing Minister’s excuses for Ontario’s housing slump

FILE: Shadow minister for housing Catherine McKenney. (Screengrab via cmckenneyndp/Instagram)

OTTAWA – Following a telling admission by the Minister of Housing that the Ontario housing numbers are at a standstill, the shadow minister for housing Catherine McKenney (Ottawa Centre) has issued the following statement:

“Ontario is dead last in Canada when it comes to housing. The state of our housing numbers is just proof that the Ford government’s strategy, or lack thereof, is simply not working.

“Families are being priced out, young people are giving up on finding an affordable home, and more Ontarians are at risk of losing their home altogether. Doug Ford has repeatedly failed to meet the urgency of this crisis, and every day without action means more people pushed into insecurity.

“The moment we are in calls for bold ideas and real leadership. Instead, Ford’s housing minister is admitting defeat and passing the blame. Ontarians deserve better.

“Despite having 8 years to fix things, the Ford government has failed to make any progress on housing or even listen to good ideas. Our Homes Ontario plan can turn things around by building the truly affordable homes that people need. It’s time to get Ontario out of last place.”

Background:

• The Ontario NDP has been pushing for the government to adopt Homes Ontario, a public agency that would get the government back to building affordable homes, by providing grants, low-cost financing, public land and other resources to build permanently affordable public, non-profit and co-op homes

• The Ford government and the Ontario Liberals have repeatedly voted against Homes Ontario and blocked progress on bold, ambitious housing policies to address Ontario’s housing crisis

• After months of sitting on the province’s most up-to-date housing numbers, the government has finally updated the housing supply progress tracker, showing that the province is nowhere near meeting their target to build 1.5 million homes by 2031

• The Ontario NDP has also written to the Financial Accountability Office to conduct a comprehensive review of Ontario’s housing progress