Week in Review: March 28, 2025

Here’s a roundup of housing news and issues that ECOHH noted this week:

From ECOHH’s social media

• So far political parties have said little about housing, and nearly nothing about social/non-market housing:

  • March 25: Poilievre is pledging to eliminate the GST on purchases of new homes for up to $1.3 million.  The Tories also say they would help make it more attractive for municipalities to free up land, speed up permits and cut development charges to build more homes.

  • March 20: Carney announces that his government will eliminate GST for first-time homebuyers on homes sold at or under $1 million.

  • March 24: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says a government led by him would use federal Crown land to build more than 100,000 rent-controlled homes over the next 10 years. He is also promising $1 billion over five years to acquire more public land for rent-controlled home construction. The housing pledge also includes a promise to train 100,000 more people in skilled trades.

• As the federal election campaign moves ahead, watch for announcements about housing.

• Safer for All Community Forum and Screening on April 12, 2025

• Two new dates added for Intersections of Identity Film Screening and Report Release

Relevant housing news 

• Alberta to claw back federal disability benefit from AISH recipients

• U of A students develop an initiative to help unhoused population reach proper healthcare

• Substantial rent increases are forcing some tenants out of their homes

• CBC host Andrew Nichols speaks with a policy expert on new housing pledges from federal leaders

• City of Kelowna adds fencing, security patrols around homeless encampment

• New Quebec funding for social housing 'a drop in the bucket,' social housing advocate says

• Zoning changes to spur new housing in Fredericton no silver bullet, experts say

• B.C. failing most vulnerable amid toxic drug crisis, critics say: ‘It’s heart-wrenching’

• 'Significant progress': Latest homeless numbers in Calgary are up but stabilizing

• Rent increase cases more than tripled at Quebec’s housing tribunal in last 5 years

As always, we recommend checking out these sources for additional information on housing and homelessness

• Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) 

• Canadian Centre for Housing Rights

• Canadian Housing & Renewal Association (CHRA) 

• Federal Housing Advocate

• Homeless Hub (Canadian Observatory on Homelessness) 

• Homeward Trust 

• Housing Complex  

• Make the Shift   

• National Right to Housing Network (NRHN)  

• Social Housing & Human Rights (SHHR) 

• Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network