Issues

Housing
In a province as prosperous as ours, all residents should have access to safe and affordable housing. Yet today in Saskatchewan, far too many people — too many families, newcomers, seniors, students, and individuals with disabilities — are finding it hard to find or afford quality housing.

In communities like Coronation Park, families are facing dramatic increases in their monthly rents. Young couples are finding it harder and harder to afford their first home, and all of us are facing dramatic increases to our utilities rates because of Brad Wall’s mismanagement.

As part of a strong NDP team, I will fight for the residents of Coronation Park, and all Saskatchewan citizens, to ensure safe, affordable housing is a right.

We must continue to put pressure on the federal government, who in the mid-90s, began absolving itself of its responsibility with respect to social housing. We must put pressure on the Brad Wall government, who is failing to ensure that the immense prosperity his government inherited from our NDP government has positively impacted the lives of Saskatchewan people. We must look at legislative changes that will ensure the development of social housing is tied to new construction, and ensure that reasonable — and enforceable — health and safety standards exist. We should look at the availability of short term housing, so that families and individuals can access short-term housing when and where they need it.

In doing all of this we must work with community leaders to seek partnership and develop innovative solutions.

In 2007, as the Chief of Staff to then Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Judy Junor, I had the opportunity to travel the province and attend stakeholder meetings on the housing situation in Saskatchewan. I heard first hand about the challenges, but also the solutions, that are out there. Community organizations are working hard to provide housing support, but they can’t do it alone. They need a strong government — an NDP government — to work with and support them.

As the representative for Regina Coronation Park, I look forward to working with the rest of the NDP team to ensure we make progress on this important issue.