Opinion: The federal government is neither committed nor has the know-how to address the housing and homelessness crisis.
. Yet every opportunity following this historic commitment has revealed that the federal government is neither committed nor has the know-how to address the housing and homelessness crisis. Budget 2023 is no exception.
Budget 2023 provided no new money for programs designed to “solve” the housing crisis and did not allocate any significant money to build new affordable housing. It also did nothing to address the financialization of housing, even though the government acknowledges financialized landlords have engaged in “excessive renovictions, above-guideline rent increases, and other actions that have made rent more expensive,” all of which runs afoul of human rights.
The federal government seems to be throwing up its hands in self-defeat. Perhaps it became spending-shy in light of the’s recent finding that the government didn’t know if the $6 billion in spending meant to address housing need had actually benefited anyone. So, what can be done? There’s no choice but to be more creative and consider lower-cost solutions that rely less on the mega-budgets required to build new housing. This might produce results that are not just more expeditious, but that are also greener — something rarely considered in most supply-oriented housing strategies.
Greenhouse gas emissions caused by the construction of housing is a significant driver of climate change. Considering Canada’s already heavy carbon footprint, and the country’s
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