Halifax Just Hit Different: Housing Costs On Par With Toronto?! 🏠💸 No Cap!

The Tea Is Hot 🔥

Okay, so listen up, besties. Word on the street is Halifax is going through it rn. Apparently, housing and transportation costs have skyrocketed so much that they're basically twins with Toronto. We're talking like, 31% of your income or more just vanishing into rent and gas in 2024. That's a major L.

The NDP is not happy, saying the government is sleepin' on the job. They're out here calling for rent control, beefing up public transit, and building more affordable places to crash. They even want a whole minister dedicated to housing affordability. Like, helloooo, is anyone listening?!

The government's response? They're saying they've been dropping stacks on market-rate housing and affordable public housing. But clearly, it ain't hitting the mark. Rent's still sus, with Toronto asking like $2,690 for a two-bedroom. And national home prices? Don't even get us started – they're reaching for the stars at $691,299 in May. Sheesh!

To make matters even more confusing, the government yeeted the standalone housing department and merged it with economic development. Make it make sense?! The NDP is convinced this is a whole mess, arguing that the government's previous failures are why Halifax is now playing in the same league as Toronto when it comes to unaffordability. They're throwing out receipts showing Halifax and Toronto with similar housing costs in 2024, both hovering around 30% of household income spent on housing and transportation.

Meanwhile, the Premier's office is saying all this cost-of-living drama is from past under-investment and that they're trying to fix it. They're flexing rising housing vacancy rates and their investments in affordable housing, plus pointing to moves like lowering the provincial HST and creating a school lunch program. But is it enough to save our wallets? Only time will tell, fam.