Thoughts from the other coast

Vancouver airport was busy Sunday morning as I waited for the long flight back to Halifax. I had been in this beautiful city since Wednesday morning attending the BIg CIty Mayors caucus and the first couple of days of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) annual conference.

In the short time that I have been Mayor I have come to enjoy the BIg CIty Mayors. It is an interesting and diverse group of politicians whose styles,backgrounds and approaches vary significantly. From the laid back, west coast cool of our Chair, Gregor Robertson of Vancouver to the charismatic intensity of Naheed Nenshi of Calgary to the experience and personality of the dean of big city Mayors, Hazel McCallion of Mississauga....it is an interesting group of civic leaders. And it has been an influential group, working with other members of FCM to ensure that the voice of local government is heard on the national stage.

Recently, FCM has campaigned for the continuation of infrastructure funding for municipal priorities and the Federal budget delivered significant investment in this area. It is no longer arguable that there is an infrastructure deficit in Canada, nor is there any credible reason for municipalities to have to shoulder this deficit on our own. Almost 60 percent of Canada's infrastructure is under municipal management, but municipalities collect only 8 percent of all taxation dollars. Clearly there is need for all levels of government to work together on the roads, bridges and water that we all use.

The campaign for continued infrastructure investment will continue, but with the meetings last week, Canada's Mayors have shifted focus to another area of huge importance: Housing. Many issues require national attention, or even a national strategy, issues like transit, policing and others. Why would housing be the next big focus ?

 

The answer is simple: Everything starts with a roof overhead. The determinants of health, of crime, of opportunity, all start with housing. When I was an MP I was a member of the committee that addressed poverty in Canada. We produced an extensive report with comprehensive recommendations to reduce poverty. As we travelled the country and heard from people and organizations, the need for adequate housing was continually addressed. By the mental health community, the disability community, the addictions counsellors, aboriginal leaders, it didn't matter.....it started with housing. And it was no surprise.

Today in Halifax we have many people who are working on the crisis in housing. And it isn't just those who live in poverty who face difficult, and limited, choices in housing.....

One issue that will come up is the issue of jurisdiction. There are those who forcefully point out that housing is a provincial issue. Thanks for that, but the fact is that the issues that affect our citizens, are the responsibility of all of us. If we as municipalities want the federal and provincial governments to step up and help on areas that are in municipal jurisdiction, we can't step back on an issue like housing. And there are many aspects of housing that do fall under our control , and where our city has an important role to play.

The looming crisis is billions of dollars in federal support for housing that is set to expire over the next few years, and that needs to be addressed. We can figure out the niceties after we secure funding. But in the meantime, in municipalities like our own, we need to work with partners like the community action on homelessness and others to figure it out and make a difference.

In Vancouver I was joined by a number of council colleagues, a number of whom have earned strong reputations across Canada for their dedication and hard work. I am proud to be part of a strong team, and I always feel it is useful to meet other municipal leaders and discuss the issues that face us all.

I was also happy to get a Mooseheads jersey on the mayors of London and Saskatoon to celebrate the great success of the team this year. I also put a jersey on our good natured host, Mayor Robertson, and even on a former a parliamentary colleague, NDP leader Tom Mulcair.......we had some fun,and I had bragging rights as Mayor of the Memorial Cup champs. Thanks boys!