Federal housing strategy could bring 500 affordable units to P.E.I., MLA says

A Liberal MLA is hoping the province will be able to reap maximum benefit from the recently announced federal housing strategy.

The Trudeau government announced last week a 10-year, $40 billion plan to build new affordable housing units and repair existing ones, as well as try to cut homelessness.

During question period on Tuesday, Richard Brown, MLA for Charlottetown-Victoria Park, said that strategy could see up to 500 new units built on P.E.I., and he wants to see more affordable housing for Islanders.

"I'm just wondering what the Department of Human Services is doing to identify properties in order that we could move these properties to the housing corporation to build housing.... We did that when I was on city council and you'll see a number of duplexes around the city built because of us giving properties over to the housing corporation," he said.

"It was a good idea then and I think it's even a better idea now."

Land transfer

Minister for Family and Human Services Tina Mundy said work is underway to identify provincial land that could be transferred.

She said that's been done before in Charlottetown and Cornwall to develop housing for people with disabilities and intellectual disabilities.

"We are currently in the process of discussing with our colleagues in the Department of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy about identifying other parcels of land within the province and formalizing a process on a go-forward basis," Mundy said.

Brown also said the federal government has indicated they are willing to hand over federal properties for housing, and he thinks the province should be exploring that option.

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