Vancouver politicians press for federal housing strategy
The Little Mountain Housing Development, built in 1954, was the first public housing project in B.C. “In 1954, Canadians and…
The Little Mountain Housing Development, built in 1954, was the first public housing project in B.C.
“In 1954, Canadians and governments at all levels had the foresight and resources to build 100 percent publicly-owned housing that provided affordable housing,” Don Davies, MP for Vancouver Kingsway, said at the CALM press conference.
“Fast-forward to 2011, it is inexcusable and it’s unacceptable that with our greater resources today, we can’t triple or quadruple the amount of units in a place like this and make it and 100 percent public and 100 percent affordable,” Davies added.
Related: Demolished site highlights social housing tensions
Little Mountain points to a problem that will not be resolved until the Federal and Provincial governments begin to invest again in social housing, said councilor Ellen Woodsworth.
“It’s not in the interest of the market to develop social housing, because the market sees social housing as a commodity, not a right,” she said.
MP Libby Davies of the neighbouring East Vancouver riding said Little Mountain is “an incredible demonstration of what is wrong with policies on housing in B.C. and indeed federally.”
She said it was “unconscionable” that federal government opted out of social housing in 1993. “The federal government completely dropped the ball,” Davies said.