Helping people get into homes

By MPP Toby Barrett

To The Haldimand Press

As someone who built my own home and has continued to work with the trades on various building projects, I welcomed a recent opportunity to address the Haldimand and Norfolk Home Builders Association.

I think everyone in the room agreed government can do more to help people get into homes. We need to help families, individuals, and seniors find housing that fits their needs and budget.

I hear from people – my staff, constituents, people I meet on the road – who worry they will never be able to afford a home in Ontario. The problem is exacerbated by homeowners leaving the city, selling their property for upward of a million dollars, and then entering our local market.

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Homes are expensive to buy and to rent, and there aren’t enough of them, something we heard time and time again in the 2,000 submissions to a provincial government consultation on housing.

Young people in their 20s and 30s are asking – what happened to the starter homes? And why can’t I find a place near work?

Families are asking – why aren’t there any apartments, condos, or townhouses I can afford with space for my kids?