Highest Rate of Housing and Rent Inflation in Country - Explain

CLAUDIA CHENDER: Speaker, I am going to try again to ask a question and get an answer. Let’s see if it works this time.

For the sixth straight month, we have the highest rate of inflation in the country, driven by housing and energy costs. Nova Scotia’s shelter costs were up 7.2 percent year over year. The national average: 1.5 percent. The stats are clear. Housing prices remain stable, but rent is driving this trend.

My question to the minister is: What is this government going to do about the rising cost of rent that is driving inflation?

HON. JOHN WHITE: Speaker, we spent Friday talking about housing and all the outcomes. If it continues today, I will go through all the stats. I apologize; there are a lot because the housing plan we have in place is working. It’s working by everybody’s review other than the Opposition, unless it’s environment or something and then it’s left sitting on the fence again.

Speaker, the fact is that 80,000 housing units have been made available through this Province and through this government’s work. In the meantime, while we deal with the inaction of previous governments, we are also supporting folks today with a $90-million rent supplement program.

We are doing everything we can to help everybody. We won’t stop until everybody has a house.

CLAUDIA CHENDER: This government wants to pretend that building fixes everything while refusing to acknowledge that unchecked rent hikes are making life more expensive, too expensive.

The government wants to talk about facts. Statistics Canada, I think we can all agree, is a reputable source. The fact is our inflation is multiples of the rest of the country because of the cost of rent. For six months, we have had the highest rent-driven inflation in the country.

I want to ask the Minister of Service Nova Scotia: Will she do something to ensure that people can afford to live and pay rent in this province?

JOHN WHITE: It takes no more time to see the good side of life than the bad side of life. That is a fact. The reality is that this housing plan has increased or made available 80,000 housing units.

We have the most housing starts since 1950 - 70 years, Speaker. The plan has resulted in nearly 4,000 affordable housing units since 2021. We have committed to the largest public housing bill in 30 years - 515 units. Three hundred of those units are either under way or already completed.