Chapman: Ford’s corrupt Conservatives are sidelining Kitchener’s elected voices, without getting us closer to affordable housing

KITCHENER – Debbie Chapman, the Ontario NDP candidate in the Kitchener Centre by-election, says the Ford government needs to stop finding sneaky new ways to double-down on their corrupt scheme to reward a select few of their insider land speculators, without getting the region closer to affordable homes built.

“There’s an urgent housing crisis in my community of Kitchener and across Ontario, and McMansions and forced urban sprawl are definitely not the solutions we need. This will, in fact, make housing more expensive at a time when people are already unable to keep up with the rising cost of rent and mortgages,” said Chapman.

In their latest attempt, a leaked letter from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing suggests that the Conservatives are pressuring lower-tier municipalities to green light their forced urban boundary expansions.

“Land supply is not the reason why we’re in a housing crunch. All this does is sideline the elected voices of Kitchener-Waterloo region – the expert voices who understand the specific housing needs of our community. Ford’s Conservatives can’t be trusted, and their constant flip-flop over the past year is proof they don’t know what they’re doing.

“This government needs to stop finding new ways to make their land speculator friends richer, and instead listen to the many effective solutions the Official Opposition NDP has already proposed.”

Chapman and Stiles’ Ontario NDP want to build homes that people can actually afford, in neighbourhoods they actually want to live in, including a mix of starter homes, purpose-built rentals and affordable housing. They'll tackle greedy speculation, end renovictions, and bring back real rent control. The Official Opposition Ontario NDP also introduced a motion in the legislature – Homes Ontario – to get the provincial government back in the business of building affordable homes.

“The solutions are clear, but frankly all Doug Ford wants is to give his insiders a leg up. Getting affordable housing built in Kitchener and Ontario is one of my top-most priorities, and I can’t wait to join the rest of the NDP team at Queen’s Park and get it done,” said Chapman.