91原创 Advance Times runs this weekly feature, call it 鈥淎t Your Service.鈥�

It鈥檚 another forum in which to put questions to our local politicians about key issues facing our community and its residents.

Using a basic question-and-answer format, elected officials will be asked one question at a time and given the opportunity to respond (to a maximum of 250 words) on that said issue.

Alternating between elected groups, 91原创 City and 91原创 Township councils, 91原创 school board, 91原创 MLAs, and 91原创 MPs each have a chance to participate.

The answers provided will be published in their entirety online each Sunday.

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MOST RECENT 鈥� AT YOUR SERVICE: MLAs agree much to be done to safeguard against climate-related disasters

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QUESTION

Both 91原创 MPs were asked: How much assistance should the federal government provide for provinces and communities to build more affordable rental accommodations?

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ANSWERS

MP John Aldag

A. All levels of government share responsibility for housing. Therefore, I would like to see the federal government continue to work with provinces and municipalities to build more affordable rental accommodations.

Thanks to an investment of $1.5 billion through budget 2022, the Rapid Housing Initiative will build 4,500 more affordable housing units for those who need it the most. This will complement the over 10,000 new affordable housing units already under construction in Canada.

We currently work well with the B.C. government to fund these affordable housing units.

We are also working with communities by investing $4 billion in the Housing Accelerator Fund to help municipalities speed up the construction of housing and create 100,000 new homes over the next five years.

Through the Canada Housing Strategy, we have already invested over $30 billion to build and repair over 440,000 homes.

We are making historic investments to help double housing construction over the next 10 years.

The approval speed for housing projects and zoning is still an issue at some local levels in B.C., alongside the current skilled trades shortage slowing down construction times.

As we continue to ramp up efforts to increase the housing supply, encouraging municipalities to approve rental developments is important.

Addressing the skilled trades shortage is getting the attention of both the provincial and federal governments, to help build units faster.

In summary, all three levels of government need to continue working together to construct more affordable housing units.

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MP Tako van Popta

A. Since the Liberals formed government in 2015, the average price of a home has nearly doubled.

Until the Bank of Canada started increasing interest rates on mortgages, home prices jumped by nearly 20 per cent in the preceding year, making the dream of home ownership unattainable for many.

And families renewing their mortgages will see big increases in mortgage payments.

The Liberal narrative that their funding programs will address the housing crisis by 2030 was contradicted this past spring, when the CMHC reported that this government will fall short of their housing goal by over 2 million units.

Clearly their plans are failing Canadians.

So, what can the federal government do?

A Conservative government will tie federal infrastructure investment commitments to reciprocal commitments from provinces and municipalities to open more land for residential development and to speed up approval processes.

SkyTrain coming to 91原创 is a good example of how transit-oriented urban development can benefit our community, but development must be managed cooperatively by the three orders of government.

The federal government鈥檚 CMHC can be an important tool to promote construction of affordable rental housing, but in today鈥檚 environment of increasing interest rates, its ability to help is limited.

The only long-term solution for our housing crisis is for government to get back to basic economic principles: bringing inflation under control, balancing supply and demand, accelerating approvals, encouraging job training, and generally getting out of the way of industrious Canadians who are up to the challenge of building our nation.

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UP NEXT

Next week, 91原创 City councillors are being asked: Will the City be switching to the same residential waste bin system used by neighbouring municipalities such as the 91原创 Township and Surrey?

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Watch for their answers online Sunday.

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PAST COVERAGE

AT YOUR SERVICE: City council weighs in on supervised consumption sites

AT YOUR SERVICE: 91原创 trustees applaud positives found amid pandemic

AT YOUR SERVICE: Township council weighs in on lack of industrial land

AT YOUR SERVICE: MLAs see feds as partners in SkyTrain to 91原创

AT YOUR SERVICE: Creating more housing, on all fronts, critical to stabilization: MPs

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AT YOUR SERVICE: Pools need to be part of Township-wide recreation planning

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AT YOUR SERVICE: MPs call for borders to be safely re-opened

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AT YOUR SERVICE: Passports key to keeping B.C. businesses open, people safe during pandemic

AT YOUR SERVICE: Trustees ponder what kids are missing out on during pandemic

AT YOUR SERVICE: Education should trump rules for vaccination of health-care workers, suggest MLAs

AT YOUR SERVICE: How to handle rising housing prices

AT YOUR SERVICE: City council divided on call for indoor pool

AT YOUR SERVICE: Council ponders vaccine requirements for workers

AT YOUR SERVICE: Skyrocketing enrolment prompts intensified lobby by trustees

AT YOUR SERVICE: Political stripes aside, MLAs agree heat dome was tragic and action required

AT YOUR SERVICE: MPs agree much must be done to right wrongs for Indigenous

AT YOUR SERVICE: Is pay parking in the City a viable consideration?

AT YOUR SERVICE: Some suggest more needed to protect floodplains from development

AT YOUR SERVICE: Monitoring student transport not good use of school district resources 鈥� trustees

AT YOUR SERVICE: Liberal caucus floats all-party committee in reaction to emergencies

AT YOUR SERVICE: 91原创 MPs address issue of rising food costs

AT YOUR SERVICE: Inflation inevitably hits City taxpayers in the pocketbook

AT YOUR SERVICE: Future of Aldergrove core up for debate

AT YOUR SERVICE: Trees and more greenspace at root of climate change solutions

AT YOUR SERVICE: Inflation inevitably hits City taxpayers in the pocketbook

AT YOUR SERVICE: Councillors differ on future of SkyTrain beyond 91原创 City

AT YOUR SERVICE: Bigger schools not necessarily solution to rising land costs

AT YOUR SERVICE: High gas prices of concern for MLAs of both stripes

AT YOUR SERVICE: Military readiness for climate disasters must be ensured 鈥� says one MP; other says army only one piece of bigger puzzle

AT YOUR SERVICE: Empty homes can be safety concern, but not huge concern in City

AT YOUR SERVICE: Most of council content with current pothole repairs

AT YOUR SERVICE: Survey gives school district tools for staff recruitment, retention

AT YOUR SERVICE: Liberal MLAs call for overhaul to B.C.鈥檚 student funding model

AT YOUR SERVICE: Canada must continue its support of Ukraine, MPs

AT YOUR SERVICE: Best use of industrial land paramount to 91原创 City councillors

AT YOUR SERVICE: More ALR land needs to be used for farming: Most of council

AT YOUR SERVICE: 91原创 is attractive to school staff, but given rapid growth trustees agree more must be done

AT YOUR SERVICE: Local MLAs agree more must be done to make life affordable in B.C.

AT YOUR SERVICE: Federal parties working on multiple fronts to end hate crimes

AT YOUR SERVICE: 91原创 City ponders cannabis retail policy

AT YOUR SERVICE 鈥� Most on council say parks and rec plans address future growth

AT YOUR SERVICE: School district moves forward on reconciliation efforts with Indigenous partners

AT YOUR SERVICE: MLAs agree diking upgrades needed, divided on if enough is being done

AT YOUR SERVICE: Local MPs disagree on whether 2 billion trees can be planted by 2030

AT YOUR SERVICE: In light of SkyTrain coming, 91原创 City embarks on parking study

AT YOUR SERVICE: 91原创 Township should consider schools for future cooling centres

AT YOUR SERVICE: Despite challenges, trustees affirm 91原创 is ready to accept more refugee students as need arises

AT YOUR SERVICE: Opposition MLAs critical of NDP鈥檚 affordable housing record

AT YOUR SERVICE: Federal clean energy efforts lauded by MP

AT YOUR SERVICE: MPs debate how feds chose to halt trucker convoy

AT YOUR SERVICE: New 91原创 City council look for solutions to rising costs

AT YOUR SERVICE 鈥� A few 91原创 Township council members speak to ongoing single-family home demands

MOST RECENT 鈥� AT YOUR SERVICE: Trustees hope Santa can deliver more provincial funding this holiday season

AT YOUR SERVICE: Political views aside, MLAs wish residents health and safety this holiday

AT YOUR SERVICE: MPs agree new year鈥檚 resolution must focus on inflation

AT YOUR SERVICE: New floodplain report coming to council this spring

AT YOUR SERVICE 鈥� Protected bike lanes on key Township roads is encouraged by council

AT YOUR SERVICE: Trustees divided on question of socializing kids

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