May 11th, 2021
May 11th, 2021
NIAGARA FALLS — On Tuesday in question period, Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates asked Premier Doug Ford to immediately table a plan to address skyrocketing housing prices in Niagara.
Gates pointed to a recent study by Desjardins, which showed that housing affordability in Niagara got worse by 14 per cent — the worst drop in Canada. Data shows that the average sale price of a house in Niagara for the first quarter of the year was $717,702.
“We have a housing crisis in Niagara – people from our own community literally cannot afford to buy a home here. Parents are watching as their kids have no choice but to leave the community they were raised in. Residents of Niagara have known this for years as their kids have been priced further and further out of the market. Houses are facing multiple offers and bidding wars — regularly selling well over asking price, sometimes $100,000 over asking. Who can afford that?”
Gates’ office is being contacted by residents who are being evicted to accommodate renovation plans by the owners, only to find the same units advertised at a much higher rent — a process known as renovictions.
“People are finding themselves evicted from their rental home by investor owners, and can’t find an affordable place to live,” said Gates. “The problem is out of control, and families — especially young families — are paying the price.”
The waitlist for Niagara Regional Housing for a one-bedroom unit in Niagara Falls is 18 years.
“I am calling on the Ford government to address this housing crisis and make it affordable for people to live in Niagara,” said Gates. “There are answers available, like the NDP’s plan to build more affordable homes, help first-time buyers with the down payment, protect tenants from bad apple landlords, and take on the greedy flippers and speculators.”