[homeles_ot-l] Ottawa City Council passes resolution acknowledging Housing Crunch

[Mike Bulthuis]

Kudos to Ottawa City Council who yesterday passed the resolution below,
acknowledging Ottawa's - and Canada's - housing crunch. The wording of the
motion is below, while additional information on the FCM campaign, of which
this is a part, can be found here: 

http://www.fcm.ca/home/issues/housing/fixing-canadas-housing-crunch.htm

MOTION (passed by City Council, November 27, 2013)

Moved by Councillor T. Tierney

Seconded by Councillor D. Holmes

That the Rules of Procedure be waived to consider the following motion, as
the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board of Directors meeting is
being held in Ottawa this week. 

WHEREAS, a stable and secure housing system that creates and maintains jobs
and allows for a range of living options is essential to attracting new
workers, meeting the needs of young families and supporting seniors and our
most vulnerable citizens; and, 

WHEREAS the high cost of housing is the most urgent financial issue facing
Canadians with one in four people paying more than they can afford for
housing, and mortgage debt held by Canadians now standing at just over $1.1
trillion; and

WHEREAS housing costs and, as the Bank of Canada notes, household debt, are
undermining Canadians' personal financial security, while putting our
national economy at risk; and

WHEREAS those who cannot afford to purchase a home rely on the short supply
of rental units, which is driving up rental costs and making it hard to
house workers in regions experiencing strong economic activity; and

WHEREAS an inadequate supply of subsidized housing for those in need is
pushing some of the most vulnerable Canadians on to the street, while $1.7
billion annually in federal investments in social housing have begun to
expire; and

WHEREAS coordinated action is required to prevent housing issues from being
offloaded onto local governments and align the steps local governments have
already taken with regard to federal/provincial/territorial programs and
policies; and

WHEREAS, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has launched a
housing campaign, "Fixing Canada's Housing Crunch," calling on the federal
government to increase housing options for Canadians and to work with all
orders of government to develop a long-term plan for Canada's housing
future; and

WHEREAS FCM has asked its member municipalities to pass a council resolution
supporting the campaign; and

WHEREAS, our community has continuing housing needs, that can only be met
through the kind of long-term planning and investment made possible by
federal leadership;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Ottawa City Council endorses the FCM housing
campaign and urges the Minister of Employment and Social Development to
develop a long-term plan for housing that puts core investments on solid
ground, increases predictability, protects Canadians from the planned expiry
of $1.7 billion in social housing agreements and ensures a healthy stock of
affordable rental housing for Canadians; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the
Minister noted above, to the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and
Housing, to all Ottawa MPs, to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and
to the Association of Municipalities Ontario.

CARRIED

 

 

 

 

Mike Bulthuis

Executive Director

Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa

171 George Street, Ottawa ON K1N 5W5

613-241-1573, ext. 314

 

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