Skip to main content

Featured

Canada’s Job Market Stumbles as February Brings Major Employment Losses

                                                       Workers operating machinery at a construction site in Edmonton.      Canada’s labour market took a sharp downturn in February, shedding 84,000 jobs and pushing the national unemployment rate up to 6.7%. The decline was far steeper than economists expected and marks one of the most significant monthly employment drops in recent years.  A Sudden and Significant Employment Decline Statistics Canada reported that the country lost 84,000 jobs in February , a surprising contraction that affected both goods‑producing and services‑producing industries. The unemployment rate rose to 6.7% , up 0.2 percentage points from January. Economists had anticipated modest job growth, making the downturn even more unexpected.  Who Was Hit the Hardest Youth aged...
Post a Comment
Read more

article

Labels

Preserving Affordable Housing: The Role of Rental-Protection Funds


Colleen Frank, a 74-year-old resident, stood in front of the rental apartment she had called home for over two decades. The two-bedroom condo in Chilliwack, B.C., where she had served as the unofficial superintendent, was no longer hers. Evicted at 72, she faced homelessness in a rapidly rising rental market. Colleen’s story is not unique; many low-income Canadians struggle to find affordable housing as rents soar.

Across Canada, lower-cost rental properties are disappearing due to renovictions, tenant turnover, and demolitions. While new buildings receive attention, the existing stock dwindles. It’s akin to filling a bucket with a hole at the bottom—new development won’t suffice if we lose existing units.

Canada is now taking a crucial step to address this crisis. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced the creation of a $1.5-billion rental protection fund. This fund aims to preserve affordable housing by helping non-profits purchase rental apartments when they come up for sale.

How It Works

  1. Loans and Grants: The program offers $1 billion in loans and $470 million in grants. Non-profits can access these funds to buy affordable rental properties.
  2. Cost-Effective Preservation: Research shows that preserving existing affordable housing is 50-70% cheaper than new construction. Non-profit operators keep rents lower for the long term.
  3. Swift Action: Private real estate sales move quickly, making it challenging for non-profits to compete. The rental-protection fund bridges this gap.

British Columbia’s Rental Protection Fund has already made a difference. It provides one-time capital grants to non-profit housing organizations, allowing them to purchase rental buildings and co-operatives listed for sale. By safeguarding existing units, this fund protects renters and ensures long-term affordability.

As the housing market escalates, rental-protection funds become essential tools. By preserving what we have, we can stem the vanishing supply of affordable units and provide stability for vulnerable Canadians. 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment