Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates focused on housing affordability at Queen's Park today.
During question period today, Gates asked Premier Doug Ford to immediately table a plan to address skyrocketing housing prices in Niagara.
Gates pointed to a recent study showing housing affordability in Niagara fell by 14%, and the average sale price of a house in Niagara for the first quarter of the year was $717,702.
“We have a housing crisis in Niagara – people from our own community literally cannot afford to buy a home here. Parents are watching as their kids have no choice but to leave the community they were raised in. Residents of Niagara have known this for years as their kids have been priced further and further out of the market. Houses are facing multiple offers and bidding wars — regularly selling well over asking price, sometimes $100,000 over asking. Who can afford that?”
Gates says people are contacting him saying they are being evicted to accommodate renovation plans by the owners, only to find the same units advertised at a much higher rent.
“People are finding themselves evicted from their rental home by investor owners, and can’t find an affordable place to live,” said Gates. “The problem is out of control, and families — especially young families — are paying the price.”
Gates says the waitlist for Niagara Regional Housing for a one-bedroom unit in Niagara Falls is 18 years.
“I am calling on the Ford government to address this housing crisis and make it affordable for people to live in Niagara,” said Gates. “There are answers available, like the NDP’s plan to build more affordable homes, help first-time buyers with the down payment, protect tenants from bad apple landlords, and take on the greedy flippers and speculators.”