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

[Caroline Andrew]

Bravo Mike - cheers caroline

From: homeles_ot-l [mailto:homeles_ot-l-bounces at list.web.net] On Behalf Of mocharebyl at gmail.com
Sent: November-28-13 5:25 PM
To: Mike Bulthuis; homeles_ot-l at list.web.net
Subject: Re: [homeles_ot-l] Ottawa City Council passes resolution acknowledging Housing Crunch

I hear admitting it is the first step

From: Mike Bulthuis
Sent: Thursday, November 28, 2013 5:24 PM
To: homeles_ot-l at list.web.net<mailto:homeles_ot-l at list.web.net>
Subject: [homeles_ot-l] Ottawa City Council passes resolution acknowledging
Housing Crunch


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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