Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh wants to bring an end to the Northern Ontario housing crisis.
The New Democratic party leader spoke with local businesses, Indigenous leaders and community leaders about some of the region’s major issues, mainly the housing crisis.
Singh says one thing he has heard repeatedly on his trip or from folks living in the north is that something needs to be done to help the homeless population.
He says the federal liberals need to start a national housing strategy to help build social housing.
“What they are proposing to do is asking Canadians to wait until after the next (federal) election (next year) before 90 per cent of the funding is flowed. We are saying we need that money now to immediately build non-profit housing and cooperative housing so we can provide some relief to people struggling in this crisis.”
Singh says he is asking for the liberals to allow at least 50 per cent of the money allocated for non-profit and cooperative housing to be released immediately.
“I can’t imagine how many times people have said in their lives that they’ve had a crisis and then they’ve said okay I have a crisis but I’m going to wait two years before I do anything. I don’t think anyone would say that. We have a crisis in Canada and we can’t afford to be told to wait another year and a half to two years.”
He says they will continue to push for this considering it will be a great help to people and businesses.
Singh concluded his trip through the north having visited Timmins, Kaschechewan, Kapuskasing and Hearst during his travels.
