Leaky Condos Adding to the Affordabilty Crisis: NDP BC Caucus Supports Appeal to New Federal Housing Minister

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Posted on 2007.02.21

Leaky Condos Adding to the Affordabilty Crisis: NDP BC Caucus Supports Appeal to New Federal Housing Minister

OTTAWA – The NDP today called on the government to fulfill the Conservative Party’s 2006 election promise for a review of the largest and costliest construction crisis in Canadian history – BC’s leaky condo crisis – and implement the Barrett Commission Inquiry’s recommendation for financial relief.

Carmen Maretic, President of Consumer Advocacy and Support for Homeowners (CASH) Society was joined by six NDP MPs: Dawn Black (New Westminster-Coquitlam), Libby Davies (Vancouver East), Peter Julian (Burnaby-New Westminster), Penny Priddy (Surrey North), Bill Siksay (Burnaby-Douglas) and NDP Housing Critic Irene Mathyssen (London-Fanshawe). The group demanded that the new Federal Housing Minister, Monte Solberg, keep the Conservative campaign promise and act immediately.

“Leaky condo and cooperative owners continue to struggle with repairs and escalating costs. The average per unit costs rose from $38,000 to $62,000 for cooperative owners and from $20,000 to $54,000 for condo owners from 2000 to 2006,” said Siksay.

“It’s been seven years since the inquiry into the construction of condominiums gave its recommendations and we have only seen inaction from the Liberal and Conservative governments,” said Julian.

The key recommendations coming out of the Barrett Commission included: forgiving the GST on repair and restoration costs; income tax deduction of repair costs; fair and flexible Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation grants to leaky housing cooperatives; and penalty free access to RRSPs to fund repairs. The Commission also suggested that CMHC has failed to be an advocate for homebuyers in the coastal climate of British Columbia.

“The Barrett Commission, a BC provincial inquiry, could only go so far in determining what role CMHC played in the delivery of substandard constructed homes. That’s why the Federal government must hold an inquiry to get to the bottom of this matter and to prevent other Canadians from falling victim to defective homes,” said Maretic.

“Thousands of working families urgently need their government to stand up and implement the recommendations from the Barrett Commission. We are also expecting nothing more than for the Conservatives to keep their campaign promise,” said Black.

Priddy noted that there are other costs involved. The health hazards of living with mould in walls, ceilings and floors are serious, especially for infants and young children who have more fragile respiratory systems and those who have weak immune systems.

Affordable, Quality, Public Child Care Now: NDP

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Posted on 2007.02.6

Affordable, Quality, Public Child Care Now: NDP

OTTAWA – Canada’s families need access to affordable, quality, public child care now, said NDP Child Care Advocate Olivia Chow (Trinity-Spadina) and the NDP BC caucus, one year after the Conservative government cancelled provincial child care agreements.

“The façade of ‘choice’ in Conservative child care has been thoroughly discredited,” said Chow. “Ordinary families are taking the brunt of this government’s stubborn refusal to admit that it’s wrong, that it hasn’t created any new spaces, and that child care is simply unaffordable for too many parents,” added NDP MP Libby Davies (Vancouver East).

In January, the BC government said that due to the lack of federal financial support, it will reduce child care funding as of July 2007 – forcing child care providers across the province to close their doors or raise their fees.

Chow and Davies were joined by BC NDP MPs Alex Atamanenko (BC Southern Interior), Catherine Bell (Vancouver Island North), Dawn Black (New Westminster Coquitlam), Nathan Cullen (Skeena-Bulkley Valley) and Denise Savoie (Victoria). Jean Crowder (Nanaimo-Cowichan), Peter Julian (Burnaby-New Westminster) Bill Siksay (Burnaby Douglas) and Penny Priddy (Surrey North) who were unable to attend also joined their voices to the cause.

Savoie’s private members bill C-303 – the Early Learning and Child Care Act – would ensure adequate, stable federal funding for quality, affordable public child care. It was passed at Second Reading in the House of Commons in the fall.

“There are massive waitlists for child care in Victoria and across BC,” said Savoie. “The Conservative plan has utterly failed to make life more secure and affordable for families. It has robbed countless parents of choice in caring for their children.”

The NDP BC caucus called on the federal Conservatives and the BC Liberals to stop passing the child care buck and cooperate on a national public child care system.

“Child care is in crisis in BC,” said Bell. “This is not the time to stand by bad public policy that is clearly having a devastating effect on ordinary families. It is time to find a better plan, and the NDP has one.”

The Conservative government has failed to implement a realistic plan for the promised $250 million targeted to create child care spaces starting on April 2007. To make matters worse, families will pay the federal government $224 million in taxes on the $100 allowance, and lose $400 million cut from the cancelled Young Child Supplement.

The MPs called on parents and citizens who oppose these federal and provincial decisions to speak out loudly by contacting the Prime Minister and local Liberal and Conservative MPs to express support for Bill C-303.

NDP Environmental Agenda Receives “Green” Light in Vancouver East

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Posted on 2007.01.11

NDP Environmental Agenda Receives “Green” Light in Vancouver East

VANCOUVER – Over 100 people from Vancouver East came out to a local environmental forum on Thursday, to talk about what they can do to support the federal NDP plan to fight climate change.

Vancouver East NDP MP, Libby Davies, joined by party leader, Jack Layton, hosted a 100 Mile Breakfast Environmental Forum, and met with dozens of local community activists and individuals to discuss the NDP Green Agenda, and how Vancouver East and other communities can get involved locally and nationally, to stop the effects of climate change.

“I’m thrilled by the positive feedback we received from the people in East Vancouver today, for what we’re doing for a cleaner environment,” said Layton. “This community really understands how pressing the issue of climate change is,” said Davies. “People are ready to take action on the environment, and that’s exactly what the NDP Green Agenda is offering.”

The forum’s discussion panel hosted a range of regional experts including, NDP Environmental Spokesperson, Nathan Cullen (MP Skeena Bulkley Valley), Karen Koernig with the Environmental Youth Alliance, and Ione Smith with SmartGrowth BC.

The NDP Green Agenda is a five point proposal to clean up our environment and improve the health and quality of life for ordinary Canadians through support for initiatives like local co-operative and renewable power production, and funding for greater infrastructure investment by communities towards green house gas reductions.

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