Why one town and not another? N.S. mayors want more info on new public housing locations

On Wednesday, the Nova Scotia government announced plans to build new public housing for the first time since 1993. Five locations will be getting a share of 222 new units, but it's unclear how the locations were chosen — and why some municipalities were left out. 

"This announcement ... is great. I applaud that," said Mayor David Kogon of the town of Amherst, N.S. "But my initial reaction was like, why isn't Amherst part of this? We're a sizeable community just like Bridgewater, Truro and Kentville who were part of that."

At the announcement, Housing Minister John Lohr said a joint investment of $83-million from the province and the federal government would build new units on government-owned land close to existing public housing properties in Halifax Regional Municipality, Cape Breton, Kentville, Bridgewater and Truro.

Lohr wouldn't say how the locations were chosen, except to say, "There's housing needs in all these communities and wait lists in all these communities."

Most of the new units going to Lower Sackville

At Wednesday's announcement, Lohr would not elaborate on the locations of the new units, but said "the bulk of them" would be in multiple locations in Halifax Regional Municipality and Cape Breton.

"We haven't specifically said where they are exactly," Lohr said. "Individual sites will be announced when they are fully finalized."

But on Thursday morning, Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative Caucus sent out a news release stating $60 million of the total $83-million investment would go to HRM, with $48-million earmarked specifically for Lower Sackville, a community about 25 kilometres from downtown Halifax. 

Outgoing PC MLA and former Houston cabinet minister Steve Craig was quoted in the release saying the investment will "significantly increase the availability of affordable and accessible housing for more residents in our community."

The Nova Scotia government currently owns and operates 11,202 public housing units across the province.

As of January, 4,790 households in all regions of the province were on the wait list for a spot in one of these units. The public housing priority-access waiting list included 117 more households, and had an average wait time of 1.6 years. 

Pam Mood, mayor of Yarmouth, N.S., said she would like more information on how locations were chosen. 

"It's not an ugly question, it's just curiosity," Mood said. "Is there a reason, did we miss something? But you know, I can't say anything other than I'm thrilled for these places, while understanding that we have housing needs as well."

Mood and Kogon, as well as New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks all said that housing needs are severe in their municipalities, and they've been trying to promote development. 

"We are in need of housing of all types ... it's having an impact on our ability to attract employees to our local businesses," Kogon said. "And maybe more importantly, we're having difficulty bringing health-care providers, both physicians and non-physicians, because they can't find places to live."

No sign of assessment on housing needs 

In February of last year, the province commissioned an assessment of housing needs, a nine-month study to collect data from each of Nova Scotia's 49 municipalities.

It was due back to the province last December, and was meant to use rental vacancy rates, home prices, rates of homelessness, average incomes and a variety of other measures to make recommendations to politicians and bureaucrats about how to respond to housing needs in each community.

Lohr said his department has received the study, but won't release it yet. 

This report is in addition to a report on residential tenancy enforcement, a student housing strategy and a provincial housing strategy that were completed months ago but still haven't been made public.

Hoping for more phases

Nancy Dicks, mayor of New Glasgow, N.S., along with Kogon and Mood, said they hope for future phases of public housing development. 

"Obviously the need for housing is far greater than this announcement and I can't imagine that they would stop there," Dicks said. "You have to start somewhere."

A spokesperson for the Housing Department wouldn't say if more phases are in the works, but pointed to pilot projects to repair public housing, add housing to existing properties and turn units over to community organizations that were also announced Wednesday.

"Based on how these progress, we anticipate continuing to seek opportunities to apply what we've learned in other areas where it makes sense to do so," spokesperson Heather Fairbairn said.