Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 27, 2000, Winnipeg, Manitoba Focus a13 Winn Pic Fork nov Makr 2000 t intercity housing crisis National housing policy needed renewal about building Community As Well As houses Tom Simms in the Federal government got out of the social housing Canada is the Only Western industrialized country without a National housing the approach was based on the premise that the voluntary sector and the private sector would be Able to pro vide for housing for Low income individuals and this approach has proven to be a Canada has an alarming number of homeless people and a shortage of affordable housing for Low income individuals and in we have seen a growth in the housing crisis in the inner there was a rash of arsons in the Market value of houses has in the average Sale Price of a House in the North end was and by 1999 it had decreased to in the West the average Sale Price of a House in 1988 was and fell to by the 1996 census indicated that houses in the inner City were in need of major reinvestment in housing rehabilitation is problematic because of the collapse of the Market value of houses in the inner partnership the inner City housing coalition believes that no one sector can address the Issue of affordable hous ing for Low income individuals and a partnership approach is required involving the Pri vate and Public to the Public sector in the Federal has played a minimal role in the area of afford Able housing for Low income House since the Federal government has Cut Back almost billion in spending on social the Issue of housing for Low income canadians received scant attention during the but the problem will still be there Here Are some suggestions about what should be done i Federal government needs to develop a National housing policy involving a partnership Between the voluntary private sector and the Public the Federal government needs to develop a ministry of housing instead of a ministry of i the fiscal deficit in our country was eliminated by setting annual tar gets for budget deficit there is presently an affordable housing deficit in our country for Low income families and the Federal govern ment needs to eliminate the afford Able housing deficit Over the next 10 Phil Hossack free press archives volunteers raise a Wall on a new intercity Home built through habitat for years by setting annual affordable housing deficit reduction i the Toronto disaster Relief com Mittee recommends that All Levels of government spend one per cent More of their total budgets on housing than they now the Federal govern ment should adopt this funding the one per cent solution would be the single largest step towards ending the affordable hous ing an increase of one per cent would double the amount now spent on housing in our i the Federal government should enter into a cos sharing program with the provincial and municipal governments to provide housing groups onetime capital Grants to Bridge the Gap Between the Cost of new construction or rehabilitation and the level of housing charges that Low income individuals and families can afford to i the Canadian housing and renew Al the National afford Able housing umbrella has proposed the formation of a Canadian housing the foundation would receive funds from individuals and other and would Channel these funds to non profit housing the foundation would also provide a Range of technical assistance to support the development of local fund i the Federal government needs to participate in a partnership with the provincial and municipal govern the voluntary sector and the private sector to establish an inner City housing foundation for the City of Winnipeg As outlined in the Busi Ness plan developed by the inner City housing coalition in november this foundation would provide a Lon term source of funding for local nonprofit housing i the Federal government needs to develop a tax credit program to encourage the formation of pools of capital for registered housing foundations that have a mandate to fund affordable housing for Low income families and commune affordable housing tax credit investment programs could be based on existing programs for labour sponsored venture capital funds and a donations program could be based on existing tax credit programs for political expand programs i the Federal government needs to expand the Homeowner wrap and rental wrap programs to include a component for nonprofit Community housing the cur rent Homeowner wrap income eligibility criteria is very the Federal government should increase significantly Homeowner wrap income eligibility cutoffs in designated geographic this would enable Community housing groups to develop neighbourhood wide Strate Gies in geographic areas where investment in housing renovations is impaired due to the dramatic decline in the Market value of houses in the inner i the american Community rein vestment act successfully channels Large volumes of private capital towards housing for Low income Indi families and the act is based on the fact that lend ing institutions have an obligation to reinvest in communities in which they make their specific commitments Are made by Banks in connection with periodic regulatory reviews As a targeted pools of capital Are available for affordable Cana Dian Banks operating in the United states participate in reinvestment but do not have such obligations in the chartered Banks in Canada have made record profits in the last decade As during this past decade the Banks have abandoned the inner City in the past 10 eight of the 15 chartered Banks have been closed in the North end of win the Federal government should Amend the Bank act to require Community reinvestment for financial institutions similar to the american Community reinvestment i intercity renewal is not just about building it is about building the Winnipeg develop ment agreement expires in the Spring of the Federal govern ment should provide leadership to renew a Trievel Winnipeg intercity agreement with the provincial and municipal govern ments in order to improve the Quality of life in the inner City through a comprehensive development strategy focusing on education and train child and family support programs and com unit based economic develop Tom Simms is executive director of the Community education and develop ment letters to the editor the free press welcomes letters from they must include the authors address and Telephone letters May be letters to the 1355 Mountain r2x fax email l6tters@treepress.mb.ca so called science proves nothing the prominent heading scientists Back Days views on the column by Geoff Casey 16 caught my it was creating the impression that the Reader will undoubtedly learn about some new Radical discoveries that would cast serious doubts on the enormous amount of information science has gathered in the past about the Speed slowness of the natural processes one can observe around us on the Earth and in the whole from which one could infer that the Earth must be billions of years to my the essence of that column was that there Are peo ple who Call themselves scientists who apparently believe in a very Young one is entitled to believe what Ever they but scientific theories must be based on observations and experimental measurements and can be disproved Only by and there was not a single experimental fact stated in cases column that would prove or disprove what is the value of printing such an item Miroslav Kolar Lac Dubonnet creation cannot be measured in time now that the subject of creation has come to the forefront in this election int it Wise to look of what the Jehwe has to say about it what seems to be in question is How Long it took god to Complete his work of Atio Ishow ol4 is the the Bible in the fast chapter of that the period frown the time of gaels first act of to the time intelligent Man was created was six Days six creation Accord ing to a creation Day consisted of a period of darkness and a period of determined neither by the Sun nor the Moon As they did not exist until the fourth creation so How measured by our 365 Day was one creation Day no one but god knows the answer to it could have been a million of our 365 Day or several or Sev eral Hundred million no Prophet was Ever inspired to give us that info Only from the end of the sixth creation Day is it possible to determine the time in years years to but creation began in eternity and is impossible to be measured in terms of Ted Bezan Morden most abortions on healthy babies during the three years beginning in there have been therapeutic abortions performed on Canad an that amounts to one third of one million canadians who have suffered death for reasons As varied As their it is illogical to argue from the specific to the As Chantelle Bryson has done in her letter of abortion decision not up to Stock Well those on both sides of the abortion Issue can use their own specific Case to argue for or against Abor that is not the one specific Case cannot be enlarged to encompass in the majority of abortions today Are executed on healthy Ca Riadi that is the lost it to Only but a Ron Hofman Winnipeg Canada pays lip service to worlds poor at an All candidates meeting i asked a question on foreign an Issue virtually forgotten in this elec the Liberal incumbent referred to increased funding for Cida result ing from the governments new social development which include Basic health and this is simply a Reallo cation within Midas existing not an this mistake just goes to show How far off the political radar screen for eign Aid the truth is that it has plummeted to a 30year Low in terms of it has been slashed More than any other government program and Only two countries in the world have made deeper cuts during the this is an embarrassment to the coun try once considered a Model world Citi what kind of message is sent to the rest of the world about those values when Canada continues to pay lip ser vice to the worlds poorest despite record surpluses Stephen Denis Ottawa Tough love does work i like to thank Ted Monkman for his honest and refreshing letter on the topic of providing schooling for All willing i have been a Junior High school teacher most of my life and 1 can Only agree with his if you ask the students who of their teachers they like they will Tell you it is the Tough the honest ones and the teachers who love them and who teach by exam not for a Long time have i been so encouraged and hopeful after Reading that Young people anywhere in the world will pick up the pieces we have left behind and they will put them Back together if we give them a fair Tough love does Wil Barmeier Winnipeg football has new lease on life i would like to congratulate the entire Winnipeg Blue bombers organization on a successful this is what the fans of Winnipeg have been hoping for some after years of Many most of them by a Large the team played competitively for most of the i would also like to congratulate the management and not Only for the hard but also for the new lease and the new Outlook for football in Winnipeg Josy Mudryj Winnipeg doonesbury by Garry Trudeau 1 Accuu ;