There was a fair degree of agreement on how City Hall should tackle the issue of affordable housing when mayoral candidates Bob Bratina, Andrea Horwath and Keanin Loomis took part in a debate organized by Hamilton is Home last week.
All three agreed we need inclusionary zoning along the LRT route. Only Bratina suggested a figure—30 per cent of all new housing projects along the route need to be affordable. Horwath and Loomis agreed on the need to eliminate exclusionary zoning so that duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes can be built on land zoned for single-family housing. All three agreed politicians need to courageously champion affordable housing in the face of neighbourhood opposition and to spend the time to talk with opponents about the need for a mix of housing everywhere. All three agreed on the need to dedicate city staff to approving new housing projects more quickly.
Loomis pledged to stop spending a half million a year on evicting people experiencing homelessness from parks and instead commit $1 million a year to end the need for encampments. His target is to double the rate at which we build houses and quadruple the rate at which we produce affordable units. Bob Bratina said if the city’s priority really is housing, we should ask the province to donate all the land for the LRT for affordable housing, instead of the LRT. Only Horwath said we need to protect existing affordable rental housing. She said housing was her number one priority.
You are encouraged to watch the debate at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7cap1ub67E
Let us know if you do at housing@uuhamilton.ca