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Canadian Municipalities: Housing and Federation

canadian municipalities: The federation says Ottawa has already opened the door to more federal involvement in fixing the housing crisis by putting forward some funding in the last budget, according to Guelph Mercury. But now, the federation says the housing strategy needs to carve out $12.7 billion over eight years to protect existing social housing, prevent homelessness, build new units and provide a portable housing allowance to needy renters who can't find affordable housing. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities says wait lists for social housing are growing, and one out of five renters spends more than half their pre-tax salary on shelter. "We know that safe and affordable housing is the bedrock of communities where people want to live, raise their families and start businesses, said federation president Clark Somerville. "Instead, we're facing a housing crisis, and we need to fix this now." Especially vulnerable are newcomers to Canada, Aboriginal Peoples, single moms and seniors living alone. The request from cities across the country reinforces similar demands from the big-city mayors made earlier this month. "We finally have a window of opportunity to tackle the housing crisis," Somerville said. "The federal government has a big mandate to invest in social infrastructure. The deadline for submissions is today and the results are to be released Nov. 22, which is National Housing Day. Now we need that big decision to make affordable housing a priority." The Liberal government opened a national consultation on a housing strategy in June. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.