HOUSINGAGAIN-L Housing Again Bulletin No. 23

[Catherine Nasmith <cnasmith@sympatico.ca>]

HOUSING AGAIN - Bulletin Number 23, November 20, 2000

A twice-monthly electronic bulletin published on what people are doing
to put housing back on the public agenda in Ontario, across Canada and
around the world. Our web site is 
ttp://www.housingagain.web.net
* * * * * * * * * *
In this bulletin:
1. Is Housing Really an Issue in the Federal Election?
2. Downloading Bill 128, Public Hearings: What can five hours do?
3. National Housing Strategy Day of Action, this Wednesday
4. Visit our Site for Fresh News Right Away
***********

1. Is Housing Really an Issue in the Federal Election?

Gilles Bernier, Progressive Conservative Housing Critic does not fit the
Progressive 
Conservative image.

"I've been on welfare," Bernier, an Acadian, said in a phone interview.
"My wife was raised on welfare. Her father was an epileptic and
committed suicide because he couldn't live like that. I've been on
Unemployment Insurance - I was a seasonal worker. But now, it's even
worse for people than when I was so poor.

"I own two construction companies now, and a corner store. I don't have
a university degree, but I ran for office in 1997 out of frustration.
I'm not in it for the money. I give my aises away to food banks and a
student bursary in every high school in my riding.

 "As a government, we need a national housing policy. If elected, we
(the PCs) would meet with all levels of government to discuss housing,
to allow the federal government to give oney to housing. Maybe sometimes
we should talk directly to the municipalities to give them the money if
they're responsible for housing. Cut red tape. Be cost effective.

 "We don't want to move backwards, but maybe we should reinstate some of
the programs from the '80's, when the CMHC would match a housing loan in
New Brunswick to allow affordable housing construction."

Bernier, a member of last year's Conservative National Task Force on
Housing, thinks billions of dollars could be saved in the Public Works
portfolio within a few years by cutting waste, and that money would be
used for housing.

"You know, when Ottawa got out of housing, it really hit New Brunswick.
Nothing was built. There are some people homeless because of drugs or
alcohol. For them, we should re-open rehabilitation centres, but most
people are poor because of government policy."

"In the House in Ottawa, one Alliance member told me there is no poverty
in Canada. That's the truth. He said that. If you want poverty, you have
to look in places like Sudan. I told him, not all Canada has oil wells
like Alberta. The Alliance would turn parts of the country against each
other, when we need to get along better to develop affordable housing
and housing for the homeless."

Sometimes these days, Canadian politics resembles an Alice in Wonderland 
creation.

The Canadian Alliance party has no housing policy. When questioned, Lee
Monaco, the Alliance candidate in the Toronto riding of Trinity Spadina,
"Housing is a provincial atter."

The New Democratic Party promises 25, 000 housing units a year with $4.8
billion for housing over four years as well as low interest loans and 
incentives.

NDP housing critic Libby Davies worked at the grass roots, organizing
Vancouver's downtown Eastside Residents' Association and working as a
city councillor. She's committed to a national housing policy and the
possibilities of federal housing programmes even without provincial
support, such as a federal co-op housing programs. She thinks
downloading has virtually paralyzed many municipalities and that the
federal government should give grants for housing directly to providers.

Allan Redway, former Conservative M.P. says the federal government
should simply initiate housing policy by the back door. "Certain
provinces feel the feds should just butt out of housing, but the problem
is that the majority of  provinces can't support adequate housing on
their own. The big complainers were Alberta and Quebec, and now Ontario
probably enjoys that the federal government is out of the field. Quebec
would just take the money for its own housing programme.

"The pressure has been mounting across the country. People want a
national housing 
programme and the government has succumbed to it in a modest way. And
you see that in the Liberal platform."

Toronto Liberal MP John Godfrey is indeed modest about the Liberal
housing platform.

"We are tip-toeing back in," he says. "The fact [the Red Book makes] a
financial pledge without particular design shows a shift of thinking.
After the (Quebec) referendum I think the federal government went a
little bit crazy giving powers away, but I am very glad we're getting
back into housing. It is certainly significant that Public Works
Minister Alphonso Galiano went recently to the meeting in New Brunswick
of provincial housing ministers, the first time in six years that a
federal minister attended."

As Chair of the Social Policy Caucus, Godfrey has been pushing his
personal priorities of health care, early childhood development and
affordable housing into what he called the "diminished Red Book." The
promise of $170 million per year for four years, mainly for urban rental
housing but also for 'remote' housing would be part of the Cost Shared
Capital Grants Programme with the provinces. Through the Affordable
Rental Programme, or ARP, the Liberals hope to stimulate private and
non-profit housing between 60,000 to 120,000 units over four years,
which Godfrey admits is inadequate.

Godfrey hopes to take a more comprehensive view of social issues for a
more integrated policy, but he points out that nothing can work without
federal, provincial and municipal co-operation. "Ontario is just not
taking it seriously," he says. "There must be something systemically
wrong there with such low vacancy rates and no rental construction."

And will any of these promises see the light of day after November 27?

2. Ontario's Bill 128, the Public Hearings

The Harris government is only allowing five hours of public hearings on
Bill 128, the 
far-reaching Social Housing or Downloading Bill. The hearings take place
Monday November 20, and Tuesday the 21st. Clause by clause discussion
--restricted to committee members only but open to the public -- will be
on November 28.

Such limited time for such complicated legislation causes problems not
only to those objecting to the philosophy of the bill, but also to those
who are simply concerned with the nitty-gritty administration of the act
once it is passed.

Norm Gambel, Chief Administrative Officer of  Gray County in rural
Ontario will be speaking to the committee about practical problems. As a
member of David Crombie's "Who Does What?" Task Force in 1996, Gambel
says he was surprised when the province "dumped" social housing into the
municipal/provincial equation "at the very last minute" in 1996, to set
the scene for Bill 128.

"Other transfers have been worked out much more carefully, "says Gambel.
"Land ambulances, family benefits, highways were all handled better.
This is just a dump operation."

With the downloading, Gray County will be responsible for 600 non-profit
units and  900 provincial public housing units which Gambel understands
"are in very good shape."  (Most administrators think the public housing
units need very substantial repairs.)

At the committee hearings Gambel will point out the serious complexities
that are ignored in the bill. Human resource matters, for example, such
as payment of sick leave are not spelled out. And who is responsible for
staff transfers? He also questions the creation of Local Housing
Corporations which will spring into being at midnight on New Year's Eve.
All provincial housing authorities will become corporations, with the
county or local municipality as the sole shareholder, even though many 
municipalities don't like this arrangement and intend on quickly
dissolving these corporations.

"The reason the province is creating these corporations is because they
can't figure out how the transfer would work other ways." Gambel does
not mince words. "The province should do more work!"

Gray County's plan is not fully decided because so much remains vague.
They don't even know what the titles look like. They don't know yet if
the corporation has any value, "but we want to make sure," Gambel
cautions. "We may not dissolve the corporation but we will empty it of
staff and operations. The land titles might remain.

"Money for housing is a very difficult issue. It shouldn't be [on]
property taxes. Housing should be paid for by income tax across the
province. Just think of the difference between [what the people can
afford in]  Gray County and Toronto," he said.

Yet Gambel thinks that be integrating services the municipality is now
responsible for such as housing, long term care and subsidised hostels,
there will be efficiencies. Few are so optimistic.

The Liberal and NDP critics in the Legislature have been working hard 
on Bill 128, but don't expect  to see the significant public pressure
that caused the legislature to back down on MPP raises.

Liberal critic David Caplan is bewildered at where the province will be
establishing service 
managers under the bill. It seems the Greater Toronto Area will be
over-represented, Ottawa and Hamilton have no guarantees of
representation,  and Kingston and London are cut out entirely. Social
housing  tenants will not be directors of the corporations.

Caplan is concerned about the increased bureaucracy the bill will
entail. The number of reports required and already detailed are
mind-boggling, and lots more can be required by regulation.
Municipalities will be responsible for central registries, including
supportive housing for the disabled which comes through Health and
Community and Social Service ministries. "Even they think it's crazy,"
lamented Caplan.

Perhaps even more serious, the funding formula which replaces legal
operating contracts is 
untested, and almost impossible to amend. Caplan sees a "real potential
for disasters: by taking away co-op housing surpluses, for example." 
Caplan notes the government takes no responsibility for deficits.

And the ultimate dilemma remains. If municipalities have financial
trouble managing the 
existing social housing, how can they create new housing with no
financial resource other than the property taxes?

3. National Day of Action

Plans are quickly coming together for this Wednesday's National Housing
Strategy Day of Action. Over ten cities large and small across the
country will be marking the country's disastrous housing situation.

In Toronto, the action will begin with a memorial for those who have
died because of lack of proper shelter, which will be held outside Holy
Trinity Church, on the west side of the Eaton Centre.  A community lunch
will follow, complete with break-dancing and music before the march to
City Hall rally at 2.p.m. The Rt. Rev. Terrence Finlay, Anglican Bishop
of Toronto will address the rally and there will be messages from across
the country.

4. Check out  our Alerts section!

Check out the 'Alerts' section of HousingAgain for fresh news up-dated
daily and important and interesting information. Point your browser to
http://www.housingagain.web.net then click on "alerts". Make sure to
check regularly for new information. If you have a news release or other
news, you can post it to the site by clicking on "post".
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