Kitchener South-Hespeler candidates on how they'd advocate for more housing, affordability

Kitchener South-Hespeler is a riding that straddles two cities, both of which face a number of challenges including the rising cost of living, limited housing opportunities and climate change.

Amy Fee, a Progressive Conservative who was elected the Member of Provincial Parliament in 2018, opted not to seek re-election this year.

There are six people running in the Kitchener South-Hespelerriding in this provincial election. They are, alphabetically:

• Jess Dixon Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
• David Gillies, Ontario Party.
• Ismail Mohamed, Ontario Liberal Party.
• John Teat, New Blue Party.
• David Weber, Green Party of Ontario.
• Joanne Weston Ontario New Democratic Party.

CBC Kitchener-Waterloo invited the candidates from the four major parties to take part in the panel discussion. The panel was held Friday, May 13 at Catalyst 137 in Kitchener.Mohamed, Weber and Weston attended the panel.

Dixon declined to take part in the panel and also declined CBC's offer of a one-on-one interview. CBC emailed her the questions asked to the other major party candidates and Dixon provided a written response. Her answers have been included below.

The full audio of the panel is available below.

Housing and cost of living

When talking about affordability, Weston said right now it's hard to separate housing from the rising cost of other items such as gas and groceries.

"It's getting harder and harder for people to be able to pay their bills and they're making adjustments on the groceries they're buying when they can afford to buy them," she said.

"Rent control is something that needs to come into place because the rent is increasing at astronomical rates and people aren't able to afford a home and when they move, their rent is increasing $400 and $500."

Weston said the NDP would lower car insurance rates, raise the minimum wage to $20 an hour and look for ways to cover the cost of mental health care, dental care and pharmacare.

She said the provincial government also needs to build more supportive housing units and extend the lifespan of existing homes, with a goal to end chronic homelessness within 10 years.

Mohamed said over the next 10 years, the Liberals would double the pace of building homes and work with local municipalities to make that happen.

He works with communities in Kitchener, in particular those living in poverty, including families, seniors and people with disabilities.

"With their struggles and the housing crisis and the rent increases, whatever the money that they're getting isn't equal enough for them to have a living," he said.

The Liberals, he said, would increase the minimum wage to $16 an hour next year and develop a regional living wage. Under a Liberal government, people who receiving money through the Ontario Disability Support Program would see that increase by 20 per cent over 10 years and Ontario Works rates would go up by 10 per cent.

Weber said the Greens have a plan to address the "oppressive domestic commodification" of the housing industry. He said foreign investment in homes in Ontario is a problem, but not the biggest issue.

He said people who are buying multiple homes should be taxed at a higher rate.

"If we don't do that, no matter how much housing you build, no matter what other things you do, everything's just going to keep on getting gobbled up by these monopolies," he said.

He said more supportive and affordable housing is needed. He said the Liberal plan to raise ODSP 20 per cent doesn't go far enough and the Green party would double that.

"We believe that it's something that needs to be done immediately, not in increments, so not five years down the road," he said.

"We do need to have a universal basic income. This is something that would cover people that are between jobs trying to get re-educated."

In her emailed statement, Dixon said the Progressive Conservatives are "putting the dream of home ownership within reach for more Ontarians" with a "suite of changes" to build more homes 1.5 million in the next 10 years.

To address affordability and cost of living, Dixon said the next government needs "a plan to rebuild our economy, build infrastructure and keep costs down."

She says the PCs will rebuild the economy with good manufacturing jobs, encourage apprenticeships and more jobs in skilled trades, build highways and "key infrastructure," lower gas taxes and tolls on Highways 412 and 418 and build the health-care system.

Voting day is June 2.

LISTEN | The candidates were also asked about the impact COVID-19 had on long-term care, what they would do to advocate for climate change at Queen's Park and what they want voters to know about them. Those answers can be heard in the full audio of the panel below: