Ahead of the fall legislative session, Opposition Leader Zach Churchill held a press conference today calling on Premier Houston to show leadership on the housing file by immediately meeting with his federal and municipal colleagues to establish short, medium, and long-term actions that can be taken to fix the housing crisis.

 

Through meeting with housing experts and Nova Scotians impacted by the rising cost of living, the Liberals have identified key issues that need to be addressed and will be calling on the Houston government to address these, and more, issues during the fall legislative session:

• Finding temporary shelter for our homeless population before winter hits.

• Fixing restrictive zoning laws that slow down development and prevent affordable housing from coming to market.

• Reducing building costs to bring more affordable housing units to market.

• Training more skilled trades workers as fast as possible.

• Ensuring the rental market is both attainable and affordable.

• Making it more affordable for seniors looking to exit the housing market to allow new buyers to come in.

 

“With the highest increases in rent and the highest rates of inflation, it has never been more expensive to be a Nova Scotian than under Tim Houston’s Conservative government,” said Churchill. “At the center of this cost of living crisis is the housing crisis, and it will not be solved until this government accepts their responsibility to fix it. Premier Houston needs to work non-stop to find answers to this problem in a collaborative and constructive way. If he isn’t prepared to provide that leadership, the Nova Scotia Liberals are.”

 

Beyond legislation to reduce red tape and costs around increasing affordable housing, Nova Scotia’s Liberals will also be addressing the cost of living crisis and emergency preparedness in Nova Scotia.