The approaches proposed for…

The approaches proposed for the community infrastructure and housing accelerator for the purpose of providing affordable housing will not address all issues and solutions to the affordable housing issue, which seems to support the need for more rapid development that is not needed. Some studies indicate there is enough housing being built within current processes and constraints, and that housing could be more affordable if developers and investors were not competing with families looking to buy a house to live in. A shortage of affordable housing is driven by having too many domestic developers and investors in the housing market, making up some 20% those looking to buy housing. Measures should be brought in to reserve the purchase and rental of housing by those who will actually live in them. The measures pushing for more and easier development to increase supply does not recognize that developers and investors contribute to the slowness of current processes by often going beyond what current requirements allow. They also slow down development and redevelopment of properties they hold in land banks, that could be developed as a first priority instead of targeting other areas. Development should be controlled at the local level, accounting for community desires and needs, with the province stepping in when local authorities are not respecting what the local community wants and/or are ignoring regulations.