P.E.I. Green Party releases housing strategy, calls shortage a 'crisis'

P.E.I.'s Green Party has released its housing strategy, calling the housing shortage a "crisis."

The strategy identifies what the Greens believe are the three causes of the housing problem in its Integrated Housing Framework document online.

• A decrease in available housing as a result of "limited government investment" in new builds.
• "Increased social need" — pointing to P.E.I.'s aging population and influx of students, among other things.
• Limited regulation on short-term rentals like AirBnB, leading to "market distortion." 

"We've got a crisis right now which is the result of a lack of building that infrastructure," Green Party MLA Hannah Bell told CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin. 

"We're seeing a real need for housing for students, for example, but we're also seeing a real need for housing that is a bit more flexible." 

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"A single-family home that's 2,000 square feet is not appropriate or affordable for many Island families, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't have access to quality housing."

'We don't have the space or the time to wait'

The Greens also discuss the impact of the housing shortage and include a "bold call to action" in the document.

That call to action suggests developing more homes and student housing as soon as possible, and encouraging enrolment in post-secondary construction programs to bolster the house-building workforce.

"There has been no end of study on what it is that we need," Bell said.

"The calls come every single day and we don't have the space or the time to wait for the next steps and the next stages and the next discussion."​

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Building new homes needs to start soon, Bell said, but in the meantime there's room to provide solutions to current housing.

'AirBnBs are not the cause'

The document suggests expanding existing seniors housing and including internet and air conditioning. It also calls for legislation that would require new builds to have a minimum number of accessible and affordable units.

The Green party strategy would see the province introduce more regulations on short-term rentals, meaning rentals would have to have a tourism license, registration and inspection as well as a levy at point-of-sale to be collected.

"We wanted to be really clear that AirBnBs are not the cause of the housing crisis, but they're definitely one of the symptoms," Bell noted.

The strategy also encourages P.E.I. villages, towns and cities to limit short-term rentals.

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