Houston’s Housing Task Force Fails to Address Housing Crisis

November 29, 2023 – (Halifax, NS)  

The Houston government’s Housing Task Force has not delivered the results Nova Scotians so
desperately need. Since its creation in 2021, housing starts are down, while rents are growing
faster than anywhere in Canada and the homeless population in HRM continues to soar.

At today’s Public Accounts Committee meeting, Opposition Leader Zach Churchill will press
government officials for more answers on the province’s housing strategy.

With a record number of people experiencing homelessness across the province and the highest
rental increases in the country, the Houston government’s approach of gaining political control over
the development process is not working. Despite congratulating themselves about faster timelines,
the special planning areas sit empty. More and more tents are popping up across HRM, and the
province has taken an adversarial approach to dealing with its largest municipality.

“Governments need to be cooperating with a war-like effort to address the ongoing housing
crisis,” said Churchill. “While more Nova Scotians find themselves without a place to call home, the
Houston government has been focused on gaining political control through a backdoor Housing
Task Force. Rather than usurping HRM’s authority, the province should be working
collaboratively with all levels of government to deliver much-needed housing to Nova
Scotians.”