March 28th, 2024
March 28th, 2024
QUEEN'S PARK: Ottawa MPPs Joel Harden (Ottawa Centre) and Chandra Pasma (Ottawa West—Nepean) challenged the Ford government's insufficient deal with the City of Ottawa, highlighting how out of touch they are with the long-standing needs of Ottawa citizens, such as transportation and affordable housing.
"This is a disappointing deal that falls far short of what Ottawa needs," said Pasma. “There's very little in this deal for housing or public transit which are major issues affecting our community. On top of this, a significant portion of the investments are contingent, meaning it's not guaranteed. Instead of addressing our community's urgent issues with meaningful investments today, the Conservatives are always looking to shift blame and avoid responsibility."
“We needed funding that would help Ottawa to invest in areas it has been forced to neglect”, added Harden. “We are losing seven units of affordable housing for every one unit that is built, and there is a 10-year waiting period in Ottawa for social housing. Our transit system has 74,000 fewer service hours due to provincial cuts. We need support in these and other crucial areas.”
The Official Opposition NDP at Queen’s Park insists Doug Ford offers the same help he recently gave Toronto. Anything less is unacceptable.