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Editorial: Housing

There is a heated debate going on right now about who is responsible for making sure affordable housing is built

Ask anyone at city hall and they’ll tell you it’s not the city’s job to provide either moderately-priced housing or subsidized housing for those on low or fixed incomes. That’s the responsibility of the province.

But what the city can do – and is doing – is influencing or assisting housing projects. That’s the case with the Terrace and District Christian Council for Social Resources, which has just started a five-unit addition to its Tuck Ave. seniors complex. The city helped with the planning and the paperwork. It was also the case with the province’s Market Estates subsidized housing complex on Davis where the city provided the land.

As argued passionately in a letter to the editor this week, out-going Ksan Society executive director Carol Sabo worries the city may want to sell other land it owns because it can fetch a handsome price due to market demand.

Ms. Sabo’s contention is based on a so-far unsuccessful attempt by the Ksan Society to have the city provide land for a low-cost housing project it wants to build.

Clearly, there are not only differences of opinion about what the city should do, there are also limitations as to what the city can practically accomplish.

A public meeting earlier this year touched on social issues. Now, more than ever, there’s a need for a city council townhall meeting to specifically address housing.