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Burnaby MP renews call for affordable housing strategy

The MP for Burnaby South has renewed his call for a made-for-B.C. affordable housing strategy. Kennedy Stewart presented a petition signed by hundreds of British Columbians in the House of Commons last week.
acorn rally
Members of ACORN's Burnaby chapter gathered at the corner of Edmonds Street and Kingsway Wednesday to warn about changes coming to the area.

The MP for Burnaby South has renewed his call for a made-for-B.C. affordable housing strategy.

Kennedy Stewart presented a petition signed by hundreds of British Columbians in the House of Commons last week. The signatories are asking the federal government to act on the province’s housing crisis by implementing an affordable housing strategy.

Stewart tabled a motion last year outlining what it would look like – everything from a boost of federal dollars into social housing, including non-for-profit cooperatives, to addressing the impact of investor speculation and housing vacancies on the high price of real estate in urban markets. The strategy would also see housing costs not compromise an individual’s ability to meet basic needs, such as food, clothing, health care and education. Targets and objectives would also be set to prevent, reduce and end homelessness.

“I called it a crisis in the House, and it is,” Stewart said of the Lower Mainland’s impenetrable housing market. “It’s the absolute No. 1 issue in our city.

“When I am in my office, there’s just a stream of people coming in, talking about their personal problems with housing, whether it’s young people who can’t afford to buy anything. Then they move to the rental market, and that’s also very difficult, very expensive.

“I was talking to one woman last week, who now, because her pension hasn’t increased, is actually sleeping on relatives’ couches. She’s lost her house altogether. All of her support networks are in Burnaby, but she can’t afford to rent,” the MP explained.

Kennedy added he’s disappointed the federal Liberals haven’t acted on one of their election promises, which was to remove the GST on new capital investments in affordable rental housing. That would provide $125 million per year in tax incentives to grow and renovate the affordable housing supply across Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first budget, tabled in March, set aside $2.3 billion over two years for affordable housing. Of that amount, $504 million will be invested to build new units and renovate existing ones (more than 100,000 Canadian households should benefit). The feds will also double the funding for its national housing program, which sees provinces and territories match federal investments.

First Nations, Inuit and northern housing will also get $739 million, while more than 5,000 low-income senior households will benefit from $200 million.

As for Kennedy’s petition, the Trudeau government is now required to provide a response to the petitioners within 45 days.