Lantz grilled in legislature on housing issues

In the provincial legislature on Thursday, a new minister with the King Government, Housing, Land and Communities Minister Rob Lantz, faced questions as the Opposition Liberals and Greens raised concerns.  Opposition Liberal Housing Critic Gord McNeilly talked about a lack of transitional housing – housing that serves as the next step for those coming out of an emergency shelter.  While not providing details, Lantz responded by saying there are plans to increase the level of transitional housing.   Meanwhile, Green MLA Karla Bernard pointed to census data which showed that between 2016 and 2021, there were 1,800 fewer households living in rental units where the cost was less than $1,000 per month.  The King government has said it will create a Special Cabinet Committee on Housing to focus on immediately increasing housing starts over the next 24 months; invest in publicly-owned housing; and reduce wait times and red-tape to access building permits