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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 189

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 2, 2023 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 189 - May/2/23
Mrs. Julie Vignola
  • May/2/23 11:52:08 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague mentioned several issues in her question that need to be addressed. For starters, seniors' pensions need to be increased. Right now, they are fixed, which is a good thing, but the fixed amount is too low. Next, simply increasing the number of housing units might have a positive impact on rents, if all needs are met. However, if companies are the only ones building housing, we end up with a situation where these companies want their housing or apartment building paid off in five or six years, so prices will keep climbing. This is unacceptable.
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Context: House Hansard - 189 - May/2/23
Ms. Melissa Lantsman
  • May/2/23 1:35:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite lives in a community that looks a lot like mine, and I am sure she hears from young people who will never afford to live where they actually grew up. Under the government, rents have doubled, mortgages have doubled and the price of a house has doubled, and it has not incentivized municipalities to build the density that is needed for young people to afford a home. I am not sure how the member can defend that to her constituents, to York Region or, frankly, to the benches of her own government.
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Context: House Hansard - 189 - May/2/23
Ms. Julie Dzerowicz
  • May/2/23 4:22:07 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, at the finance committee, which I have the privilege to serve on, we did a study on inflation and housing. We heard from a number of advocates saying that we really have to look at the REITs, which have a particular mechanism that allows companies to buy apartment buildings. What we are hearing, in many cases but not in all cases, is that apartment buildings are being bought and slightly renovated, and then the apartment rents go up exponentially, so a lot of people have to move out of what were affordable apartments. I can tell the member that our government is looking at that. We are looking at a number of measures that are stopping us from having affordable housing and housing affordability in the marketplace. We are looking at those, and if the member has other—
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