Halton Hills Mayor Ann Lawlor and local MP Michael Chong have different takes when it comes to housing.
Speaking at the Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce’s recent Power Breakfast: Conversations with Local Leaders, Chong said there needs to be less government involvement in the housing industry.
“I think we need to get government out of the way,” Chong said, drawing a round of applause from the audience gathered at The Club at North Halton. “We’re committed to getting the federal government out of all these housing programs that have been created that have only served to double the cost of housing and rent in this country over the last 10 years.”
The mayor - the next to speak on the topic - said housing is a very complex issue, but quickly pointed out the history of government being a part of the solution, dating back to the end of the Second World War. She said when veterans returned from the war, the government acted to quickly build houses to meet their needs, citing homes on several local streets that were part of that initiative.
She also pointed to both the provincial and federal government’s involvement in co-operative housing.
“It gave (home buyers) a start. So people with entry level jobs, people living on a medium wage could afford housing,” Lawlor said. “There has been a history in our country, and all around the world - governments are involved in providing this fundamental need. So to talk about government getting out of the way of housing, it’s a bit unrealistic.”
Locally, the mayor said Halton Hills has 10,000 acres ready for development, but the market has stalled because of a glut of high-priced condominiums and homes on the market that people can’t afford.
“Housing for 20,000 people is ready from the Town’s perspective and we’re waiting for the development industry to show up,” she said. “There will be a mix of housing there - high-rise, mid-rise, townhouses. But right now the development industry isn’t moving because the market isn’t right for them.”
Other topics discussed during the Q&A session, which also included local MPP Ted Arnott and Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner included:
Trump imposing tariffs on Canada
“We have to get our own house in order,” Chong said.
Chong said according to a study by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Trump’s 25 per cent tariff would impact Canada’s GDP by 2.6 per cent.
“Every year we lose 4-7 per cent of our GDP because of inter-provincial trade barriers. That is within our control as a nation to address – something we have failed to do for many years,” he said. “If we could eliminate these inter-provincial barriers, we could easily counteract the effects of the Trump tariffs by three fold.”
Vehicle theft and organized crime
Chief Stephen Tanner said vehicle thefts in Halton dropped from 1,500 to 1,200 in the past year, but said that’s still more than three a day. He said there needs to be more focus on outgoing cargo in Canada’s ports, not just incoming cargo.
“As long as those vehicles are going to be able to leave our country, organized crime generates billions of dollars.”
Chief Tanner said another area needing to be addressed is bail reform.
“We arrest a lot of people (for) stolen vehicles and serious crimes and they are in and out, often the next day.”
Changing political climate
As speaker of the house, Ted Arnott tried to restore decorum at Queen's Park when parties debated issues.
“Politics has become more polarizing and those of us that are concerned about that need to recognize it and encourage better political dialogue and discussion based on respect and fact-based,” Arnott said.
“All of us as citizens have a role to play in that. It’s in everybody’s best interest, whoever is elected to government, that we’re able to have respectful disagreements, not be screaming at each other. We can’t allow ourselves to become so divided that no government can be effective.”
Immigration
Chong criticized the government for its immigration policies and the way it vets people coming into Canada.
“According to U.S. authorities, there are many more people trying to enter the United States from Canada that are on the U.S. terror watch list than on their southern border. (I believe) that is a direct result of the current government that has completely lost control of our immigration system. They have massively rolled back some of their initiatives in the last six months and why they are scrambling to put in proper security vetting for newcomers to this country. It’s time to get control of our borders, to get control of immigration system.”
Ann Lawlor said it is not as easy as simply closing the border.
“(Premier Doug) Ford is pushing back on suggestions we should be reducing immigration to this country, particularly to Ontario. We need immigration to support our labour force. There are not enough people. And you know this because you can’t find staff. You can’t find people to work in our restaurants, to provide semi-skilled labour, skilled labour, entry-level jobs. This is a complex situation, but just saying shut the doors, stop immigration is not something the premiers would agree with.”
Lawlor added that because of under-funding, colleges and universities rely on international student fees to maintain their programs.
Crime
Tanner said Statistics Canada weights crimes based on severity, from homicide on one end to mischief on the other, to produce a crime severity index.
“When they weight the crimes in Halton, they are much better than in most large municipalities. You’re way safer in Halton Hills,” he said. “When we do arrest for (serious crimes), and it happens quite often, they are not from Halton, they are from Mississauga, Brampton, Toronto, Montreal when it comes to the automobiles and home invasions.”