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 Social housing needs feds, province, city: Dion Federal Liberal leader Stephane Dion visits the Pine Ridge Housing Co‑operative in North Burnaby on Tuesday, where he discussed affordable housing issues with a roundtable of residents. By Wanda Chow All three levels of government must be partners on the issue of social housing, says federal Liberal leader Stephane Dion. Dion said in an interview that while the province has the main responsibility for building and providing social housing, Ottawa “will be there” not just as a provider of transfer payments. He was speaking following a discussion with representatives from Lower Mainland housing co‑operatives about the issue at Pine Ridge Co‑operative in the Forest Grove neighbourhood of Burnaby . Once the Liberals form a government they plan to create a strategy on how to deal with the need for social housing, largely based on similar discussions across the country, he said. While Burnaby city council has been reluctant to take a more active role in dealing with social housing and homelessness, saying it is the responsibility of senior governments, Dion said municipalities also have a role to play. “A community role,” he noted, as solutions to the problem can’t simply be dictated and implemented from Ottawa. During the roundtable discussion, Dion was told of the social benefits of affordable co‑operative housing and of the need. A representative from Pine Ridge Co‑op noted that it houses 88 families in a fairly low-density complex. She asked if the federal government under Dion would help increase that density and build more units. Dion called it a “very good idea” and something he would consider because it’s “the kind of priority we’d like to develop ... You can be sure our party is very strong on these kinds of initiatives.” Dion explained that Ottawa downloaded responsibility for social housing to the provinces in the early 1990s during a time when the federal government was struggling with a $42-billion deficit. “We made very tough choices to bring the fiscal house in order,” he said. Ottawa then started increasing its involvement in housing in the late ‘90s through various initiatives. While a number of people asked for a federal commitment for more social housing units, Dion said “it would not be responsible for me to do so.” He noted he doesn’t know when the next election will be held or, if the Liberals were to win, what financial state the government would be left in. Vancouver Centre MP Hedy Fry, who was among the high-profile Liberals present along with Vancouver South MP Ujjal Dosanjh, noted that Ottawa hasn’t pulled out of social housing altogether. It contributes through transfer payments to the provinces, which make up 33 per cent of funding for such initiatives. Pine Ridge Co‑op president Glen Armstrong said demand is so high that his co‑op could be filled with all new members just from the waiting list. He called on Ottawa to take responsibility for housing back from the provinces, noting that while the federal government has been sending money to Victoria for social housing, the province has been using it mainly to build health care-related assisted living units. “May I suggest, don’t start to put pressure on the provincial government ... please keep them as partners, that’s in your interests,” Dion cautioned in response. “Don’t put all your eggs in one government basket. The provinces have the main responsibility for [housing] and we’ll do our best to be a strong partner. The provinces must be at the table. “I see all the benefits of what you are doing,” he said. “It’s very important to work with you in order to maximize our capacity to help.” In keeping with his reputation as a being strong on environmental issues, Dion said that his government would have programs in place to assist co‑operatives and other forms of housing to become more energy efficient. He suggested housing co‑operatives could benefit from a carbon credit program in which those who produce excessive emissions can pay into a fund that would help reduce emissions elsewhere. “It’s a good example of where environmental and social, they go good together. If we help you reduce your energy bill, it’s good for society and good for the environment.” But throughout the hour-long meeting, Dion was careful not to make any promises that he couldn’t keep. He did promise, however, not to reduce the GST by an additional percentage point. “Because that’s $5.5 billion and if I want to be a partner for you, if I want to invest in the child tax benefit [and increase it to $5,000], the bare minimum to have a decent start in life, I’ll need the money and I think it’s well invested.” wchow@burnabynewsleader.com |