“The Communist Party of Canada understands that housing is a basic human right and must be treated as a public utility with units built and provided according to need,” a statement from the party said today.
“Across the country, housing is in a state of crisis. A record 1.5 million households (more than 4 million people) are in “core housing need” and well over 300,000 people suffer from homelessness each year” the party statement said, noting that housing has shamefully not been a key election issue during the past 20 years, and continues to be neglected by successive governments at both federal and provincial levels.
“Canada sits alone among developed countries, as the only one that does not have a federal housing strategy. The Canadian government has left housing to the private sector, abandoning a basic human right to corporate profiteers” the statement said.
According to the Communist Party of Canada, the housing crisis demands both emergency and long term action from a federal government that is committed to putting people’s needs before profit.
“We reject right-wing proposals for rent subsidies, which will only line the pockets of landlords and developers, and do nothing to provide safe and affordable housing,” the statement said.
The way forward
The Communist Party of Canada demands:
* An immediate and massive campaign to build thousands of publicly-owned social, cooperative and non-profit housing units, and to repair and upgrade existing stock. Such a campaign would provide desperately needed housing and create thousands of jobs – for every unit of housing built, 6 spin-off jobs are created;
* A Federal Housing Strategy, which would include the establishment of federal-provincial-municipal land banks and real rent controls;
* A ban on evictions, mortgage foreclosures and utility cut-offs due to non-payment that is related to unemployment (including strikes and lockouts);
* Tenant control over housing, through meaningful tenant representation at elected housing boards;
* Federal-provincial-municipal land banks;
* Action by the federal and provincial governments to block mass privatization of social housing like the moves by Mayor Rob Ford to sell Toronto’s public housing stock;
* Direct a minimum of 1% of annual federal and provincial budgets toward the construction of new social, cooperative and non-profit housing.
A new deal for cities
The Communist Party is also calling for “A new deal for cities” (1) giving constitutional status and wealth taxing powers to municipalities; (2) returning 50% of gas and road user taxes to cities to increase core funding for social, cooperative and non-profit housing; (3) reversing “downloading” forcing cities to pay for social programs and (4) re-establishing low-interest loans to cities and towns.
Read the statement here: housing leaflet
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Tenant Defence Fund Budget Cut
ReplyDeleteOn February 24th, 2011 City Council passed the new budget for the City, including a cut to the Tenant Defense Fund of $100,000 a fund that provides essential services to poor tenants. $25,000 was cut from the grant money that tenants can access in order to challenge above guideline rent increases, demolitions, and conversions, and $75 000 was cut from the tenant education and support services offered by the FMTA. The cuts will result in a reduction in services provided by each branch of the FMTA, that is, the Tenant Hotline, the Outreach and Organizing Team, and the Tenant Education Project.
Of the 45 city councilors, 23 supported the heartless cuts while 22 voted to keep the funding for providing these necessary city services.
Voting against the cuts and defending tenants rights:
Maria Augimeri, Ana Bailão, Shelley Carroll, Raymond Cho, Janet Davis, Glenn De Baeremaeker, Sarah Doucette, John Filion, Paula Fletcher, Mary Fragedakis, Mike Layton, Chin Lee, Josh Matlow, Pam McConnell, Mary-Margaret McMahon, Joe Mihevc, John Parker, Gord Perks, Anthony Perruzza, Jaye Robinson, Adam Vaughan, Kristyn Wong-Tam
Voting to cut essential services to the poor and tenants:
Paul Ainslie, Michelle Berardinetti, Josh Colle, Gary Crawford, Vincent Crisanti, Mike Del Grande, Frank Di Giorgio, Doug Ford, Rob Ford, Mark Grimes, Doug Holyday, Norman Kelly, Gloria Lindsay Luby, Giorgio Mammoliti, Peter Milczyn, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Ron Moeser, Frances Nunziata (Chair), Cesar Palacio, James Pasternak, David Shiner, Karen Stintz, Michael Thompson
Make sure if your councillor was part of this attack on tenants than your neighbors know about this.
Contact the enemies of tenants and get your friends to do the same to let them and their people know we won't put up with this attack on the poor. You can find the contact info on these slimy politicians here http://app.toronto.ca/im/council/councillors.jsp