Wake Me When The First Tenant Moves In

Compassion tops feud
March 01, 2007

Premier Dalton McGuinty is to be commended for putting his fiscal fight with Ottawa on hold in order to help people who desperately need affordable housing in this province.

For months, McGuinty has left $392 million in federal money for affordable housing sitting in a contingency fund while he argues with Ottawa over $1 billion he says the Conservative government has shortchanged the province.

The dispute is still ongoing, but McGuinty acknowledged this week that he "felt uncomfortable" that the feud was leaving people in need of affordable housing out in the cold.

And well he should. In Toronto, 67,000 people are on a waiting list for housing. Across the province, 122,000 people are waiting.

The money could jump-start 5,000 new housing units, the lion's share of them in Toronto which has set a goal of building 1,000 new affordable housing units a year.

McGuinty should move quickly on this promise so that badly needed housing projects which have been on hold can get underway.