The federal housing minister says his efforts to help combat homelessness in Ontario and Saskatchewan are being frustrated by provincial governments that have “not formally responded” to his offer of financial assistance.
On Tuesday, Sean Fraser issued a statement saying that he reached out to all provinces on Sept. 18 encouraging them “to partner with the federal government to urgently find shelter for those experiencing homelessness or living in encampments.”
That federal offer would see Ottawa contribute $250 million over two years, providing provinces are willing to match that funding dollar-for-dollar.
“One month has passed since we made the offer. To date, the following provinces have not formally responded to us to help find homes for those in need,” Fraser said, naming Ontario and Saskatchewan.
Fraser’s Tuesday statement also said Alberta had not responded to his offer, but the Alberta government has since agreed to come on board.
Fraser’s office released a statement Thursday morning saying officials from the Alberta and federal governments will meet “in the coming days” to negotiate a cost-sharing deal to send money to Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Red Deer “on an urgent basis.”
Saskatchewan has been engaged in a provincial election campaign that will send voters to the ballot box on Oct. 28. Its government officially dissolved on Oct. 1.
Fraser’s office acknowledged that the election has impeded discussions between his office and Premier Scott Moe’s government, but said Saskatchewan was talking to his office before the writ drop and had time to act but did not.
Ontario pushes back
Fraser said that provinces or territories that choose to strike deals with the federal government will be able to choose which communities in their jurisdictions get funding.
The federal government says that if provinces do not strike deals, Ottawa will reach out directly to cities — starting with Toronto, Regina and Saskatoon — based on their willingness to strike shared funding agreements.
“I am disappointed that these provincial governments are not willing to partner with us, as it means we cannot support as many communities as we would have been able to had they come to the table with funding and solutions,” Fraser said.
“But, let me be clear: we will no longer wait for them to muster the political will to act as winter gets closer and lives are put at risk.”
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow would not say whether Fraser had reached out to her office but told CBC News she was ready to talk.
“As winter approaches, we want to move quickly to get people inside. We are ready and willing to partner with any government to get this done,” she said in a statement emailed to CBC News.
Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra dismissed Fraser’s threat to go around his government and speak directly to the City of Toronto. He insisted his office has been working with the federal government.
“Up until [Tuesday], we were under the impression that we were still working with the federal government on this matter,” Calandra said.
“It’s about time the federal government finally showed interest in discussing how they will match the hundreds of millions of dollars Ontario is investing to combat homelessness.”
Calandra said Ontario is investing over $700 million in homelessness prevention programs each year. He said he will bring that up when he meets Fraser next week.
“The federal government is already underfunding Ontario by more than $400 million toward housing and homelessness programs,” Calandra’s office said.