Housing: What are our governments doing?

BY STEVEN KASZAB

Whether it be a: local, provincial, or federal government the purse strings are open, and billions of dollars are promised to the private sector and special housing projects in an attempt to solve the housing problem Canada has had for decades. Yes, decades!  All the politicians of various levels have known there was and is a massive housing shortage throughout Canada.

Every citizen in Canada also has known this situation not only existed, but has affected them, their children, and grandchildren for a long time.

The politicians present their policies and handouts like it is a fresh new thing, but it is not, and anyways the promised revenue has been presented just in the nick of time, just before a federal and Ontario provincial election call. Our political and financial leaders’ selfish actions are apparent and obvious to us all.

Why do our political and economic leaders (along with the bureaucracy that serves them) always appear to be reacting to a crisis that has existed and been prophesied to happen long ago. They have eyes, but they do not see; they have ears, but do not listen to the public; they have ambition, but just not to serve the public as they should.

Our government needs to be run not by professional politicians, but project managers who know how to get the job done, on budget and most importantly on time.

Why is all that money going to private concerns by the way? Is not building housing a profitable venture? Could the public representatives of Canada not tell the private sector: what, where, and how housing starts are to be made? Why is the government flushing billions down the drain into the pockets of private venture capitalists? If the private sector gave a damn about the public, we would not be in the situation we are in, right?

The governments who serve us, must assert their power and influence upon these: developers, builders and planners. Instead, the government simply bribes these private concerns with the public’s money. Perhaps they are preparing a line into a new and profitable future job once they have been rejected by the public. The public pays more taxes going into further debt, the private sector is rolling in money and profits, while the level of building starts is miserably small, painfully unacceptable even by Doug Ford standards.

Same politics, same promises with no transparency, no budgetary balance and once the wool is pulled over our eyes, no accountability. Liberal-New Democrats-Conservatives all the same political animal, just different color scheme.