On Tuesday, NDP MP Charlie Angus (Timmins-James Bay) pushed the Liberals on their lack of action to address the growing housing crisis in the North. With support programs running out of funding, and hundreds of waitlists for homes, Angus is calling on the government to sit down with the various social services boards of the North and step up with funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we are seeing is a total social catastrophe,\u201d he said in describing the situation in the Northern downtowns.<\/p>\n
NDP candidate for Thunder Bay-Rainy River, Yuk-Sem Won expressed how heartbreaking it is to see how many people in her community struggle to get the housing and support they need.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll levels of government need to be a part of the solution, we have hundreds of people waiting for supportive housing in Thunder Bay and they deserve somewhere safe to live,\u201d Won said.<\/p>\n
Angus pointed out that the DSAB boards in Timmins, Thunder Bay and Kenora have been working together with northern First Nations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question they are asking is where is the federal government?\u201d<\/p>\n
Angus pushed Minister Patty Hajdu over the future of the Firekeepers Proposal in Timmins.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis project is literally keeping homeless Indigenous people alive in Timmins. But its funding is running out. What is happening in the north is in the Minister\u2019s backyard. She needs to show up and start taking this crisis seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n