In a time where home ownership is still a dream for some, making it closer to a reality is what local candidates are trying to do with their platforms ahead of provincial election.
Newly-formed OnePoint Association of Realtors, which includes the former Guelph and District Association of Realtors and three other realtor associations, hosted an all-candidates forum on Friday at the Delta Hotel. Attendance was open to OnePoint members.
While housing was the main focus, questions about tariffs and healthcare were also discussed.
“Housing shouldn’t be a luxury,” said NDP candidate Cameron Spence, during his opening remarks. He thinks the government should stop having conversations behind closed doors. “And now here we are again discussing housing policy without the voices of renters, young people and working families in the room.”
The 24-year-old Liberal Party candidate Mustafa Zuberi said people in his generation have given up on the dream that they can ever own a home.
With Guelph’s population expected to grow, more homes are needed to keep up with the demand.
“Housing starts are at an all time low. Housing costs are at an all time high,” said incumbent Green Party candidate and leader Mike Schreiner, during the question and answer segment of the forum.
He wants to bring back starter homes. To do this, he said the Greens have put forward a first time home buyers plan to remove taxes and fees for starter homes under 2,000 square feet.
To meet housing targets Zuberi believes cutting taxes is a way forward. He said the Liberals will get rid of the Ontario Land Transfer Tax to help first time home buyers, seniors downsizing and non-profit builders save roughly $13,500 on the purchase of a new home.
PC Party candidate Robert Coole touted the current provincial government when it came to removing red tape. It eliminated municipal fees on affordable and non-profit homes and removed the HST on purpose built homes, he said.
“I will continue to advocate for the reduction of these taxes and fees for the new buyers so the dream of homeownership can live on,” said Coole.
Zuberi and Spence agreed the housing crisis can’t be fixed overnight.
Tariffs could mean for Canada and Guelph were on the minds of the local candidates.
Zuberi is pushing for a Team Canada approach to tariffs by bringing federal, provincial and municipal partners together to tackle it.
“Unfortunately, it's a sad reality how our biggest ally is out here stabbing us in the back,” said Zuberi.
To prop up Ontario businesses he said the Liberals are going to bring in a fight back tariff fund to give small businesses lower than market interest rates to help save on monthly costs.
Spence said workers run the economy so he wants to ensure they get better wages and job security.
“I saw that the Conservative government had given $100 million to Linamar, and at the same time, Linamar is selling one of their plants in Welland,” said Spence. “It's difficult to watch the money flow in and the jobs flow out, and we've seen that in Guelph. And it's something that we need to be more wary about when we're building more resilient and competitive economy.”
Coole thinks Canada and Ontario need to find new export partners to trade with if the tariff threats continue.
Nurses from the U.S. and the U.K. need to be coaxed back to Canada by giving them hiring wages. This is part of Zuberi’s solution to fix the healthcare crisis.
Schreiner, Zuberi and Coole agreed Guelph needs a new hospital. But if staff aren’t paid fairly the new hospital won’t have any staff to run it, said Schreiner. He’s made the new hospital his top priority locally.
Some of the candidates tried to squeeze in other priorities like education and transit during the forum. Things like investing more money for kindergarten to Grade 12 and post-secondary students, bring better transit to Guelph and putting residential buildings along major transit and transportation corridors in urban centres, were briefly touched on.
