Opposition MLAs call for more information, action on public housing

Nova Scotia·NewOpposition MLAs are calling for increased transparency and more action by the provincial government as the waitlist for people in need of public housing continues to grow.Government officials continue to pursue various avenues to get more housing builtMichael Gorman · CBC News · Posted: Dec 03, 2025 2:46 PM EST | Last Updated: 44 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Government officials appeared before the legislature’s public accounts committee on Wednesday to discuss an auditor general’s report on public housing. From left are Pam Menchenton, Vicki Elliott and Chris Morrissey. (Dan Jardine/CBC)Opposition MLAs are calling for increased transparency and more action by the provincial government as the waitlist for people in need of public housing continues to grow.Officials with the provincial housing agency and the Growth and Development Department told MLAs on the legislature’s public accounts committee Wednesday that the waitlist for public housing stands at 8,431 people.That’s up from 8,267 in September and about 7,000 in October of 2024.NDP MLA Lisa Lachance said despite government efforts to address the housing crisis in Nova Scotia, more needs to happen.NDP MLA Lisa Lachance speaks during Wednesday’s meeting of the legislature’s public accounts committee. (Dan Jardine/CBC)In the absence of plans to build even more units, Lachance said the government must look at policies that would help people stay in the homes they already have. That starts with preventing landlords from being able to circumvent the five per cent cap on rent increases through the use of fixed-term leases, said Lachance.”It’s far less expensive for government to keep people where they are and to make sure people can live safely and securely in the homes they have,” they told reporters.Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette called on the department to provide more regular updates about the demand for spaces.Although there are quarterly statistics posted online about wait times and vacancy rates, there are no numbers to reflect either the overall length of the waitlist or a breakdown by region.Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette speaks to reporters Wednesday. (Dan Jardine/CBC)Mombourquette compared that to the changes the Progressive Conservatives made to the need-a-family-practice registry, which now makes much less information available to the public.“In this case, we know that the waitlist is something that is a concern across the province and why not quarterly give the exact number,” he told reporters.“It shows the public the landscape of housing [need] across the province.”Like Lachance, Mombourquette said the government must consider all options to increase access to housing and that includes building more public housing units.The PCs have already announced plans to spend $250 million to construct 515 new units across the province.Pressure on renters higher in N.S. than any other province, analysis findsHalifax housing construction up significantly this yearNon-profits spend thousands to keep people in their homes due to rent supplement delaysChris Morrissey, the deputy minister of growth and development, told reporters that building more public housing “can’t hurt” when it comes to addressing demand, but he said the government also continues to leverage partnerships with the non-profit and private sectors.That includes efforts to include affordable units in new housing developments and help non-profits fund the acquisition of existing affordable units to preserve them or develop their own projects to add to the stock.”We’re doing everything we can with the limited resources we have to meet some of the demands that we need to in this area,” Morrissey said.High tender prices have gov’t considering its options for new public housing projectsThe government has also worked with Build Nova Scotia to identify 200 potential sites for housing developments, which could include partnerships with other levels of government.“No one department, no one government will solve this problem by themselves,” said Morrissey.Wednesday’s meeting was to discuss the government’s efforts completing recommendations from an auditor general’s report in 2022 that raised concerns about oversight of the system.Following the release of that report, the government overhauled and reorganized the system.Officials said Wednesday they’ve completed about 65 per cent of the recommendations and are on track to finish the rest during the next fiscal year.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORMichael Gorman covers the Nova Scotia legislature for CBC, with additional focuses on health care and rural communities. Contact him with story ideas at michael.gorman@cbc.ca