QP - BUILD N.S. PROJECT CANCELLATION

CLAUDIA CHENDER : Speaker, this question is for the Minister of Housing. Rent and housing costs continue to rise in our province, but they are dropping in other Canadian cities. While this government pats themselves on the back for a housing market that no one can afford or get into, Build Nova Scotia has quietly cancelled a large, nonprofit housing development in downtown Dartmouth on public land that has been in the works since they came into office.

Government announcements are not roofs over people's heads. As rents continue to increase and housing costs remain out of control, why would this government cancel the building of hundreds of affordable units on public land?

HON. JOHN WHITE  : Speaker, before I answer the question, I just want to say what an honour it is to be called upon as a minister in this historic building. It is an absolute honour that I will cherish the rest of my life, and it's a file that's deeply personal to me. In a building with so many incredible people, I'm humbled to be considered a leader in this building.

This government has a five-year housing plan that is $1.7 billion. When we took government, we were looking at a less than a 1 percent vacancy rate. We were looking at people struggling all over the place. I'll have more in a couple seconds, I'm sure.

CLAUDIA CHENDER : This government has two prime lots in downtown Dartmouth - the other one on the waterfront. Despite repeated questioning, they have not committed to using either for affordable housing. The only announcement, in fact, has been the one this week that a derelict shed will be taken down on the site.

Hundreds of people - young people priced out of their homes, seniors struggling under incessant rent increases - could be living in apartments they can actually afford on these sites. I'd like to let the minister know that the vacancy rate for housing that the average Nova Scotia can afford is still 1 percent.

Will the Minister of Housing use this land to build housing that people can actually afford?

THE SPEAKER  : Before I recognize you, I ask members to speak through me and not directly to ministers.

The honourable Minister of Housing.

JOHN WHITE  : I hope I get housing questions all day long. There is so much to celebrate here. We have such an important and amazing department that is doing so much that I don't even know where to start. Talk about affordable housing? Three thousand units created with a $283 million budget - that is absolutely incredible.

I'll go right back to 2009. Do we want to talk about that, when capital spending was cut to death and we lost every 20- and 40-year-old we had in this province because the NDP cut everything? What we've been doing in this province has been second to none. What we've been doing with land for housing and everything else . . .