Opposition NDP Leader Andrea Horwath pledged today to tackle northern housing issues that she says have long been ignored.
The NDP launched its housing plan, Homes You Can Afford.
Part of the plan helps families buy their first home by having the government chip in 10 per cent of the purchase price as help with the down payment. The shared equity loan wouldn’t have to be paid back until the home is sold, or the owner moves out.
The plan also aims to end homelessness within 10 years. The NDP will build 69,000 affordable homes, extend the lifespan of 260,000 existing homes, and build 30,000 homes with supports. Horwath is vowing to ensure the north gets its fair share.
“It has been getting harder and harder for families in northern Ontario to find a decent place to live for decades,” said Horwath. “Home prices have gone up and up, and the supply of homes — to rent or to buy — has dwindled, causing prices to skyrocket
Horwath says the MLS® Home Price Index shows that the actual price of a single-family home in North Bay has climbed 36.9 per cent in the last five years. In Sudbury, at $339,439, the average price of a home was up 27.3 per cent in September 2020, compared to just a year earlier, according to the Sudbury Real Estate Board.
The NDP plan will make it easier and inexpensive to convert unused spaces like basements and garages into affordable rentals, while working with local governments to get more homes built..
"Ontario also needs 22,000 additional Indigenous-owned and operated community housing units over the next decade to address critical gaps," says Horwath.
She has committed to supporting a For Indigenous, By Indigenous housing strategy, working with Indigenous communities, the federal government and Indigenous-led housing providers to support the creation of an adequate supply of safe, affordable, and culturally-appropriate urban and rural housing, with supports where needed.
“The lack of housing should never stop people from living and raising their own families in the north, near the incredible communities where they grew up. I plan to invest in the north to make sure of that.”
