The following statement was made in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.
The Speaker: — I recognize the member from The Battlefords.
Affordable Housing Needed in The Battlefords
Mr. Taylor: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the most pressing issues in The Battlefords continues to be the lack of affordable housing. And I again, through the Legislative Assembly, ask that the Saskatchewan Party government devote more time, energy, and investment towards this pressing need.
As members will see through this session, I will be presenting petitions signed mostly by residents of Killdeer Apartments in North Battleford, who this summer were provided notice of a 40 per cent rent increase to take effect on February the first. Mr. Speaker, these people, seniors on fixed income and young people in low- to moderate-income jobs, can’t afford the increase in rent because there is no virtually no affordable rental accommodation in the community. They have no place to go and no place to turn. The provincial government has told us frequently that there will be provincial assistance to increase the number of affordable rental units in The Battlefords, but nothing is happening and as a result, seniors are thinking about or actually taking steps to move out of the community. Students are planning to attend North West Regional College and are choosing not to enroll. Immigrants recently attracted to the community are bunking up in multiples too large to benefit them or our community. And young people seeking their first job are choosing to settle elsewhere.
Mr. Speaker, the people of The Battlefords deserve better. They deserve better treatment from their landlord. They deserve better treatment and more access to additional affordable accommodation and they deserve a better response from the provincial government. On their behalf I ask the Minister Responsible for Housing to act and act quickly.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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