N.S. experts say election promises on housing need less ambiguity, more consultation

Andrew Lam · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 17, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Election promises to marque lodging much affordable are being met with mixed reviews by a brace of experts successful Nova Scotia who accidental vague policies and pledges that don't instrumentality existent labour conditions into relationship could hinder progress.

Nova Scotia has rapidly mislaid immoderate of its astir low-cost apartments to rising rents in the past 4 years, portion the newest lodging is astir treble the terms of the oldest apartments. This makes it important, immoderate experts person said, to sphere little rents wherever they beryllium and shield them from marketplace forces. 

Catherine Leviten-Reid, an affordable lodging researcher and subordinate prof astatine Cape Breton University, pointed to promises made by the NDP and the Liberals arsenic proposals that would assistance with affordability successful the province.

The NDP has vowed to prohibition firm landlords from purchasing existing rental properties that are affordable, which she said would assistance code the erosion of affordable lodging stock. Similarly, the Green Party has promise to stop corporations from buying single-family homes.

Leviten-Reid also said gathering caller supportive housing — which includes enactment services for susceptible radical — arsenic the Liberals are proposing, would help with affordability. 

The Conservatives person said they would marque it easier for buyers by eliminating the GST from the acquisition of immoderate caller homes. The Liberals person made a akin promise, but lone for first-time homebuyers.

What's affordable?

The occupation is that portion the main parties person pledged to marque lodging much affordable, Leviten-Reid said the mode they person been defining affordability has been "rather ambiguous."

"I was amazed astatine the deficiency of attraction connected what we mean by affordable housing, based connected however overmuch interest there's been astir it implicit the past 2 decades," she said. 

• What bash the large parties person to accidental astir housing? Read here

According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, lodging is affordable erstwhile it costs little than 30 per cent of a household's income earlier taxes. 

Leviten-Reid said the Green Party's program stood retired to her due to the fact that it specifies a explanation of affordability tied to income. The enactment has besides promised to usage covenants to guarantee publically funded lodging stays affordable successful perpetuity.

Those 3 parties have also promised to velocity up operation of caller lodging and summation supply. 

The Conservatives would expect cities to grow the fig of homes built by 15 per cent each twelvemonth oregon hazard losing immoderate national funding. The Liberals person vowed to treble Canada's complaint of residential operation implicit the adjacent decade. Meanwhile, the NDP accidental they'll physique 3 cardinal caller homes by 2030.

'Consultation, frankly, is lacking'

But Duncan Williams, president of the Construction Association of Nova Scotia, said the state whitethorn not person the workforce to enactment lodging operation astatine the standard parties are proposing — peculiarly if we trust connected accepted gathering processes and methods.

He said a newly elected national authorities volition request to meaningfully consult with the operation manufacture and see needs astatine the section level.

"Consultation, frankly, is lacking connected astir of these [policy] ideas," said Williams.

He pointed to large migration cuts made past autumn by former prime curate Justin Trudeau's authorities arsenic a caller example. He said the cuts person affected Nova Scotia's quality to prosecute capable radical for the operation industry, which has betwixt 2,700 and 3,000 vacancies.

Williams would similar to spot much targeted migration argumentation that prioritizes labour needs.

"We person said for a precise agelong clip that those successful the trades are not being prioritized precocious enough," helium said.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney has promised to support a impermanent headdress connected immigration. Meanwhile Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said his authorities would headdress migration astatine a complaint that's tied to the maturation of lodging stock.

Transforming the lodging system

Some experts person said determination needs to be much much non-market lodging similar non-profit and nationalist lodging successful bid to code lodging issues successful Nova Scotia and beyond agelong term.

To Leviten-Reid, the NDP and the Green Party person the strongest accent connected gathering non-market housing. 

The NDP has acceptable a people of having 20 per cent of lodging successful each neighbourhood beryllium non-market housing. Meanwhile, the Green Party's program states it will launch the "biggest nationalist lodging operation programme since the 1970s."

She added that the Liberal program to make a caller entity that oversees the operation of affordable lodging has the imaginable to beryllium transformative, but that determination needs to beryllium clarity connected who volition ain and run what gets built.

"If this is simply astir becoming a developer and selling the land, selling the properties, past we're not talking astir transforming the lodging system," Leviten-Reid said.

Poilievre's Conservatives person pledged to merchantability national buildings and "thousands of acres" of federally owned onshore to developers of marketplace and non-market housing, with penchant for lodging that's affordable.