Quote:
Originally Posted by Bunk
Affordable housing is NOT primarily the role of the City. It's the Province. City of Calgary has a role through CHC as a landlord and limited programs through OLSH, but it's not primarily the City's responsibility. It doesn't help that the Province has virtually stopped funding housing programs as part of the ten year plan to end homelessness. There simply isn't any money flowing. If we want to massively increase affordable housing through City sources, we have to massively increase property taxes, which we can see will only get the City accusations of gouging taxpayers.
Second - Again, where did the Mayor accuse a whole industry? ....
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To your first point:
1) Yes and no. The City is not just a contractor building taxpayer-subsidized housing at the request of the Province. The City's role is to plan the demand, manage the housing stock, advise the Province and negotiate the budget for the subsidized housing projects just like any other municipal jurisdiction. The Province only distributes the money.
2) Who said that we all want to increase taxpayer-subsidized housing massively? As a City, we all want to have enough housing stock to keep up with the market demand. This is achieved through a combination of good planning, good administration and good business-friendly environment for housing suppliers. And only then - through the taxpayer-subsidized housing supply.
To your second point:
from Metronews: "The mayor accused some local landlords of looking at their business as “a get-rich-quick scheme.”
Another example: “If it’s crap, if you know it violates guidelines and complain it takes too long to get approval, you know why,” Nenshi told about 250 members of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce."
To me, both statements are broad-brush accusations against the industries.