Housing and homelessness

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Nous publions le Budget fédéral alternatif 2020 — notre 25e édition depuis 1995 — à un moment très instable pour le Canada et le monde. La combinaison de COVID-19, une vente mondiale de pétrole et l'effondrement des marchés financiers mondiaux menace non seulement la santé et la sécurité publiques, mais aussi la stabilité de notre économie, qui sera probablement en récession d'ici la fin de l'année. Il est maintenant temps de penser au-delà des correctifs fiscaux standard et des plans de sauvetage des banques.
 REUTERS/ERIN SCOTT
The idea of a Green New Deal—a radical and comprehensive transformation of the economy to cut greenhouse gas emissions while tackling inequality—has been gaining steam as an organizing principle for the environmental and social justice movements. Yet there are many questions that GND advocates have yet to think through or agree on. Like how can we produce enough electricity to rapidly replace all fossil fuels? Will new, green jobs be good, unionized jobs that are accessible in the places where jobs are needed most? Crucially, how will we pay for it all?
The Manitoba Department of Families recently released action plan, entitled Shared Priorities, Sustainable Progress, is short on detail and long on buzzwords. For example, in the plan’s seven-paragraph introductory letter, provincial cabinet minister Heather Stefanson uses the word ‘transform,’ or its derivatives (‘transformative’ or ‘transforming’) a total of five times. The word crops up 17 more times in the ten-page action plan. When services aren’t busy being ‘transformed’ they are to be ‘modernized’ and ‘streamlined.’
Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN) (Nelson House, MB), has embarked on a comprehensive program of economic development that addresses employment, training, healing from trauma, infrastructure development, and energy self-reliance.  The First Nation is vitally concerned with nurturing young people, and is now interested in sharing its learning with other First Nations communities.  NCN's development initiative is reflective of a convergence, or self-reliance approach to community economic development (ie.
In this issue: Celebrating excellence in research The Canada Pension Plan is fuelling the climate crisis Affordable non-market rental housing Expanding the affordability conversation When it comes to climate action, the public is ahead of our polictics Inquiry into gig work needed in BC 2019 Rosenbluth lecture recap BC government fossil fuel subsidy data finally made public Our annual gala in pictures Donor spotlight: Bob and Sue Evans CMP Conference 2020 
In 2017 the federal government announced a 10-year, $40 billion National Housing Strategy (NHS) to “help reduce homelessness and improve the availability and quality of housing for Canadians in need”.  The strategy aims to “remove 530,000 Canadians from housing need and reduce chronic homelessness.”
New investments from the British Columbia and federal governments indicate a modest revival of public non-market housing, but as this report explains these investments must be ramped up significantly to meet the affordable housing needs of Metro Vancouver.  To fully address Metro Vancouver’s housing crisis, an ambitious build-out program of 10,000 new units annually of non-market rental housing is needed and should include public housing and co-ops that are truly affordable for ordinary households. 
(VANCOUVER) To fully address Metro Vancouver’s housing crisis, an ambitious program of building 10,000 new units of non-market rental housing annually is needed, including public housing and co-ops that are truly affordable for ordinary households, says a new report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, BC Office.