“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.”
Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe says he will commit to working with the federal government to address homelessness, even as Ottawa plans to bypass the province and work directly with municipalities.
In a letter sent last month, federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser asked provinces and territories to work with Ottawa to find shelter for those experiencing homelessness.
On Tuesday, Fraser announced that since Saskatchewan did not respond to an offer before entering the current election period, the government plans to hand out funding directly to the cities of Regina and Saskatoon.
Even though Saskatchewan is in an election period, Fraser said “there was ample engagement before the letter was sent, and there is no longer time to wait.”
At the same time, he raised an eyebrow at the timing of the letter.
“I won’t comment on whether there’s a little bit of politics at play here, with this coming out and Saskatchewan being named,” said Moe.
But as weather cools, the feds say there is an impetus to act quickly.
“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,” said Fraser in the release.
“We will be approaching more communities that have demonstrated an ability to quickly respond to encampments,” said Fraser.
Throughout this election period, the NDP has committed to introducing rent caps, making vacant provincial housing units available to families and increasing the supply of rental units.
“I won’t preclude anything with respect to what might happen after Oct. 28,” said Moe.
Voting week kicked off on Tuesday. Early polls are open daily until Saturday, with the final day of voting set for Oct. 28.
— with files from The Canadian Press