encampment – mackaycartoons

Friday September 27, 2024

September 27, 2024 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday September 27, 2024

Political blame games and distractions from leaders like Justin Trudeau and Doug Ford are stalling any real progress on Canada’s housing crisis, which requires bold government intervention rather than market-driven tweaks.

Canada’s Federalism Is Stalling Housing Solutions, and Canadians Are Paying the Price

September 18, 2024

The political circus in Canada, from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s survival battle in Parliament to Premier Doug Ford’s distracting antics, is only worsening the housing crisis. Canadians are struggling, and instead of real solutions, they get half-baked policy tweaks, partisan sniping, and absurd diversions. Trudeau is clinging to power, navigating one confidence vote after another, all while the housing crisis festers. Meanwhile, Doug Ford, rather than proposing concrete housing solutions, diverts attention by bizarrely announcing a 401 highway tunnel project and bashing homeless people, telling them to “get off their a-s-s-e-s and get jobs.” This political theatre does nothing to address the urgent need for affordable housing across the country.

As Canadians face rising rents, homelessness, and crippling mortgage debt, the bickering between political parties only makes matters worse. The constant jurisdictional blame game—whether it’s Ford deflecting housing responsibility onto Ottawa or Trudeau promising yet another hollow federal measure—is killing any real progress. The recent proposal for 30-year mortgages to “ease” the burden of homebuyers is just another market-driven, debt-fuelled policy that ignores the actual supply problem. And Ford’s approach, far from fixing Ontario’s housing mess, seems more focused on enriching developers through questionable Greenbelt sales.

November 23, 2022

As Tyler Firth argued in his Hamilton Spectator article, the solution to Canada’s housing crisis won’t come from market tweaks or false hopes that extending mortgage terms will solve the problem. What’s needed is a public housing initiative, led by government, that builds affordable homes for Canadians who are languishing in precarious living situations. Firth suggests creating an Ontario Housing Acquisition Authority (OHAA) to purchase existing rental properties and incorporate them into the public housing stock, ensuring long-term affordable housing for the people who need it most.

Opinion: The private sector has failed us on housing

Carolyn Whitzman’s critique of the federal government is equally damning. The Liberals’ continued focus on propping up homeownership by increasing debt loads only pushes prices higher, without addressing the core issue of supply. It’s a glaring example of federalism gone wrong. Canada used to invest heavily in public housing, creating affordable homes for low- and middle-income Canadians. Yet, since the 1990s, public investment has dried up, leaving the private market to determine housing outcomes. The result? Housing is now an investment opportunity for the wealthy, rather than a basic right for all.

Opinion: Canadians need more homes, not longer mortgages and more debt

August 21, 2024

Ford’s rhetoric blaming the homeless for their situation, combined with nonsensical distractions like his tunnel plan, only exacerbates the public’s frustration. His disregard for housing solutions is evident, as his government continues to prioritize profit-driven development over expanding affordable public housing. Meanwhile, Trudeau’s preoccupation with staying in power means little political will is left to push for radical housing reforms.

Both Firth and Whitzman understand the simple truth: the market has failed us. Canadians don’t need more opportunities to accumulate debt, they need a robust supply of affordable homes. Yet, the blame game between the federal and provincial governments has stalled any meaningful action. And as political leaders continue to distract and deflect, it’s ordinary Canadians who pay the price.

In an era where political leaders are more interested in scoring points and securing re-election than solving the problems facing their citizens, it’s time to demand better. The housing crisis requires bold, cooperative government action—building and acquiring homes, not diverting attention with politically motivated distractions. Trudeau and Ford need to stop using federalism as a shield for inaction. Canadians can’t afford to wait any longer. (AI)

Wednesday August 21, 2024

August 21, 2024 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday August 21, 2024

Published in The Hamilton Spectator and The Toronto Star.

Link to the animated version of this editorial cartoon.

It is Long Past Time to Make Encampments History

July 21, 2023

As the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) convenes this week to address pressing issues, including the rising tide of homelessness in our cities, the sight of encampments has become an increasingly common and alarming reality. From Toronto to Hamilton, tents are lining parks, sidewalks, and public spaces, starkly highlighting a growing crisis that our governments are failing to tackle effectively. Despite various initiatives and funding announcements from federal, provincial, and municipal levels, the homelessness crisis is worsening, and it’s evident that the current approach is not working. It is time for politicians at all levels and across party lines to stop the bickering and come together to make the encampment trend a thing of the past.

The situation has reached alarming levels. In Hamilton alone, approximately 1,600 people are homeless, with more than 200 living in outdoor encampments. Emergency shelters are overcrowded, affordable housing is in short supply, and social assistance rates have stagnated. Compounding these issues are mental health and addiction crises, creating a complex web of challenges that no single government level can solve alone.

News: Hamilton can’t ‘continue to shoulder’ homelessness crisis: Mayor Andrea Horwath

August 29, 2023

Federal initiatives like the National Housing Strategy and the Reaching Home program have provided some relief but haven’t been enough to stem the tide of homelessness. Despite substantial commitments, the impact has been insufficient in addressing the growing need. Provincial efforts, including funding for supportive housing, have also been criticized for falling short, leaving municipalities to shoulder a disproportionate share of the burden. Mayor Andrea Horwath of Hamilton has rightly pointed out that taxpayers cannot continue to bear these costs without more significant support from both the province and the federal government.

The political landscape has been marred by finger-pointing rather than collaboration. Municipal leaders blame provincial inaction, while provincial leaders criticize federal programs. This blame game does nothing to help the people living in tents or the communities affected by encampments. The AMO meeting represents an opportunity for a coordinated response that is sorely lacking in our current approach. The call by Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward for a dedicated provincial minister to take charge of homelessness underscores the need for unified leadership.

June 7, 2023

While homelessness continues to grow in Ontario, other parts of the world have successfully addressed similar crises. Countries like Finland, which have adopted the “Housing First” model, have seen significant reductions in homelessness. This approach prioritizes providing permanent housing to homeless individuals without preconditions, coupled with support services to address issues such as mental health and addiction. The success of such models highlights the importance of political will to treat housing as a fundamental right.

It is time for politicians of every level and political stripe to put aside their differences and work together to solve this crisis. The homelessness crisis is not just a political issue; it is a human rights issue. The people living in tents are our fellow citizens, deserving of dignity, safety, and a place to call home.

News: Opposition parties join calls for Ontario to recalibrate approach to homelessness

August 3, 2024

To make encampments a thing of the past, we need a comprehensive, coordinated strategy that includes unified leadership at the provincial level, significant and sustainable funding across all government tiers, and rapid implementation of housing solutions. Governments must also engage community voices, particularly those directly affected by homelessness, to inform policy and service delivery.

The growing number of tents in our cities is a visible reminder of the failure of our current approach to homelessness. But it is not too late to change course. With unified leadership, adequate funding, rapid action, and cross-party collaboration, we can make encampments history. This is not just a policy challenge; it is a moral imperative. We must act now to ensure that every Ontarian has a safe, secure place to call home. The time for talk and finger-pointing is over; the time for decisive, compassionate action is now. (AI)

Letter to the editor – August 21, 2024, The Hamilton Spectator

This letter from an aggrieved couple of readers printed alongside the above cartoon illustrates the haughty level of political inaction on a municipal level in the city of Hamilton.

Frustration grows with encampment

If you live near an unsheltered encampment on Hamilton, you’ve likely played some version of “guess what, or even who, is under the tarp.” It could be a mound of belongings, or a group of two more tents, or something else entirely.

We and our neighbours residing along the east side of Gage Park have been guessing since the end of July when the first tents arrived near Maple and Rothsay Avenues. One of the tents is big enough to accommodate at least 10 people. It has a large awning, tied to a tree. The edge of this large tent is 10.5 metres from our yard. We’ve taken to referring to it as “the fortress.”

What else is hidden by tarps?

A large flat-screen TV was carried to the tents last week and we could plainly see a small safe among the collection of bicycles — both whole and in part — shopping carts, baby buggies, empty bottles, garbage mounds and open bags of pet food. For the first time in 32 years, we have rats in our yard.

We’ve all had to invest in cameras, security lighting and stronger locks on our sheds and garages.

Our property taxes increased by 20 per cent this year. Yet we can’t open our windows or use our yard without enduring the smell of drug use.

Our councillor, Nrinder Nann, admonishes us for complaining in her newsletter emailed on Aug. 16.

“It would be easy to just jump on the bandwagon of expressed fear and anger,” she wrote. “However, I remain committed to balanced, evidence-based decision-making and helping inform our community why this is not a scenario for retail politics.”

It reads as a slap in the face for us and our neighbours. There are men urinating behind our homes, open drug use and a dog that is staked to a tent and barks at everything that moves. Sadly, this does not appear to be “evidence.”

Alison Rogers and Doug Sykes, Hamilton

Thursday December 21, 2023

December 21, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday December 21, 2023

Broken Promises and Blame Game Leave Canadians Homeless for the Holidays

July 21, 2023

As we approach the holiday season, the heartbreaking reality for many Canadians is that they will be spending Christmas living in tent encampments, enduring the harsh winter without a place to call home. The root cause of this crisis lies in the broken promises and inadequate actions of all levels of government, leaving citizens to suffer the consequences of an out-of-control housing market.

A recent Leger poll highlighted the frustration and desperation felt by Canadians, with 40% placing the blame squarely on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the federal government. However, this blame game oversimplifies a complex issue and reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the housing dynamics in Canada.

News: Here’s how many people will be at risk of homelessness by 2030, according to this AI

December 28, 2021

Undoubtedly, the federal government, led by the Liberals, re-entered the housing policy arena in the late 2010s after decades of neglect. Despite their efforts and substantial financial commitments, the result after eight years is a meagre 100,000 new homes, a drop in the ocean compared to the millions needed. The emphasis on subsidizing homebuyers rather than using financial tools to address demand and the lack of consideration for the housing impact of increased immigration further compounds the crisis.

Provinces, responsible for overseeing cities, have long ignored the restrictive civic rules hindering new housing construction. It’s only recently that leaders in Ontario and British Columbia have acknowledged the severity of the issue. However, the real blame, often overlooked by Canadians, lies with city governments. The inability to build enough new homes is at the core of the problem, exacerbated by zoning restrictions that prevent the construction of essential four-storey apartment buildings on most civic land.

August 26, 2021

While Mr. Trudeau dangles a $4-billion carrot to encourage cities to loosen zoning, the program is years behind schedule, and the lack of urgency is concerning. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre proposes a stick approach, withholding federal funding from uncooperative cities. However, this stick is disappointingly soft, aiming for a mere 15% increase in building.

The bottleneck persists at city councils like those in Calgary and Vancouver, where discussions about modest new density changes are met with hesitation. A massive problem requires a massive response, and unfortunately, it’s not happening.

The recent clash between Ottawa and the provinces over housing funding agreements further highlights the lack of cohesion in addressing the crisis. While the federal government signs direct deals with cities like Halifax, premiers express dissatisfaction and threaten to bypass Ottawa in brokering their agreements.

Analysis: Homeless encampments won’t go away anytime soon, so here’s what cities should do

December 17, 2020

Halifax Mayor Mike Savage, chair of the Big City Mayors’ Caucus, rightly emphasizes the need to stop fighting over jurisdiction and focus on solving the problem. The federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund, despite its success in some cities, has become a point of contention between levels of government, distracting from the urgent need for action.

As we witness mayors and federal ministers defending their respective roles, it’s clear that a collaborative approach is essential. The blame game must end, and the focus should shift to a united effort to legalize housing. Cities hold the key, and it’s time for them to use that power to expedite construction and provide homes for those in desperate need.

This holiday season, as many Canadians face the harsh reality of homelessness, let’s hope our leaders can set aside differences, prioritize the well-being of their citizens, and take bold, decisive action to tackle the housing crisis head-on. Only then can we truly bring warmth and comfort to those who need it most during this festive time of year. (AI)

Tuesday October 25, 2022

October 25, 2022 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 25, 2022

Municipal action on affordable housing is in everyone’s interest

The affordable housing crisis in Canada is putting people on the streets or forcing them to live in inadequate or even dangerous housing.

October 15, 2022

Because this crisis is caused by several complex and interrelated factors, it unfortunately can’t be solved with a single magic bullet. We urgently need to accelerate action on affordable housing on four fronts: the construction, acquisition and retention of affordable housing, and housing supports.

The National Housing Strategy is a great leap forward in Canadian housing policy. Much of the funding goes directly to municipalities for construction of new, affordable rental housing units, primarily built and managed by the non-profit sector.

Municipalities need to find ways to accelerate affordable housing construction by streamlining the planning approval process, providing land for affordable housing, reducing or creatively financing development charges — a major cost driver — and helping non-profit organizations develop more homes faster.

But most “affordable” rental housing in Canada (i.e., places with modest rent) is in private market buildings. We can’t possibly build new affordable housing fast enough to compensate for the simultaneous loss of affordable market housing.

December 28, 2021

As a result of processes that inflate rents, the loss of affordable market rental housing has accelerated over the last several years. From 2011-2016, Canada lost 322,000 homes renting for under $750 per month. This extended to a further loss of 230,000 units under $750 from 2016-2021.

Investors seek buildings with below-market rents. As tenants leave (either forcibly or by attrition), owners can substantially increase rents. This inflation is made possible by vacancy decontrol, where rent is only regulated if the same tenant stays in a unit. Once a tenant vacates, rent can raised to whatever the market will bear.

To help preserve affordable properties, non-profit organizations need tools for acquiring existing market rental housing with modest rents. This is much faster than new construction, helps mitigate the erosion of affordable housing stock and avoids the sometimes slow processes for new construction. (The Toronto Star)

Thursday August 26, 2021

September 2, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday August 26, 2021

Trudeau promises new incentives worth billions and a tax on ‘flipping’ to help Canadians buy a home

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau today promised a suite of new measures to help Canadians buy a home at a time when a red-hot housing market has made owning property seem like a distant dream for many young people.

April 7, 2017

Speaking to reporters in Hamilton, Trudeau said the real estate market is afflicted by “instability” and “uncertainty” and a COVID-fuelled spike has led to soaring prices, bidding wars, rampant speculation and too many vacant properties. He said the situation demands government intervention to help more people acquire their own homes.

The aggressive plan — billions of dollars in new funding, measures to curb the practice of “flipping” homes, efforts to block foreign nationals from buying homes for two years and new regulatory measures to police exploitative real estate agents — comes at a time when Canadians are telling pollsters that housing is one of the issues they care about most.

September 12, 2019

The three-point program includes commitments to “unlock home ownership” through new government funding, a plan to build more homes to address supply constraints and measures to establish and protect new rights for buyers.

“If you work hard, if you save, that dream of having your own place should be in reach. But for too many people, it just isn’t — and that’s not right,” Trudeau said.

“You shouldn’t have to move far away from your job or school or family to afford your rent. You shouldn’t lose a bidding war on your home to speculators. It’s time for things to change.”

If the Liberals are re-elected on Sept. 20, Trudeau said, he would introduce a first home savings account which would allow Canadians up to age 40 to save $40,000 toward their first home and withdraw it tax-free when it comes time to buy. Money added to the account would go in tax-free and could be withdrawn without any taxes owing on possible investment gains.

May 7, 2014

He said a Liberal government would double the first-time home buyers tax credit from $5,000 to $10,000 — an incentive that would help with the many closing costs that come with buying property.

“Let’s remember, in 2017, as we launched that national housing strategy, we were starting from a standing start because for the previous ten years a Conservative government decided the federal government had no role to play in housing. That’s wrong,” Trudeau said. “But absolutely, there is more to do — much more to do.”

Trudeau took a swipe at Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole’s housing plan, which commits to building one million new homes over three years while easing mortgage requirements and making more federal land available for development.

May 8, 2008

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, O’Toole said he won’t take lessons from Trudeau on housing.

“Mr. Trudeau’s had six years and he’s failed. The housing crisis has exploded in the last three, four years under his leadership,” O’Toole said. “After six years of inaction, more hollow words today is not what Canadians deserve. They deserve a plan.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was equally critical, saying the situation has only gotten worse in the last six years under Trudeau.

Federal Election 2021

“Housing has become more expensive. Renting has become more expensive. We can’t handle another four years of this,” Singh said at a campaign stop in Mississauga, Ont., where he announced a plan to nationalize Revera, the country’s largest for-profit long-term care home operator.(CBC)