Interest groups join election debate

With Ottawa's municipal election six weeks away, interest groups are doing their best to push their cause to the forefront of the debate.

Marion Wright, chair of the Alliance to End Homelessness, laid out the group's campaign wish list at a news conference on Monday.

"Affordable housing is a defining election issue," Wright said.

'The youth today will be the families of tomorrow. If they're not in stable housing now then the housing situation is going to get worse.' — Michael Coe

"It's time for candidates to show leadership and vision and start telling voters what they intend to do."

She called on the city to commit to creating 1,000 new affordable housing units each year.

Starting next year, the province will assume about $15 million of Ottawa's social housing budget — and the alliance wants the city to use that money for assisted housing because it won't affect the tax base.

"This is the election to start making things happen," Wright said. "We want to remind voters and candidates that the city has an affordable housing strategy, a poverty reduction plan and an action plan on homelessness.

"These plans will never be successful unless the next council commits significant resources to them."

Michael Coe, who used to be homeless but now volunteers at a shelter, has a message for anyone hoping to become a municipal politician in Ottawa.

"The candidates have to understand that the homeless situation is getting worse in Ottawa," he said. "It's not just them in the downtown core, it's someone that's in Kanata or Orleans that is not far away from losing their houses, and it's families and youth.

"The youth today will be the families of tomorrow. If they're not in stable housing now then the housing situation is going to get worse," he said.

Other interest groups are also pushing to turn their cause into election issues:

• The Ottawa Taxpayer Advocacy Group is hosting a debate Monday evening on ways council can control what the group calls a "spending problem" at city hall.
• Ecology Ottawa put out its environmental performance report card, which calls for an increased focus on renewable energy and support for low-income households to make energy efficiency upgrades.
• ACORN Ottawa is calling for the city to help eliminate poverty by setting the minimum wage at $13.50 an hour.

Ottawa's municipal election is scheduled to take place Oct. 25.