Province looking to fill vacant government housing units
Saskatchewan has the lowest rental vacancy rate in nearly a decade but the provincial government has four times more empty apartments than average, which has the province trying new ways to fill suites.
The Saskatchewan government has 1,000 vacant suites for rent in Regina and Saskatoon but you probably won’t see them advertised on Kijiji.
“Basically just saying for rent would imply that anyone can come in and rent it but we do try to serve people most in housing need,” said Louise Michaud, president of the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation.
CMHC reports a vacancy rate of just over 3 per cent in Regina and Saskatoon, the lowest in nearly a decade. The public housing vacancy rate is four times that. The NDP think there are too many barriers to entry.
“That will mean relaxing the present day barriers. I know for example if you have utility arrears, you are not eligible for social housing,” said NDP MLA Meara Conway.
The government wants to address its high vacancy rate.
“We are absolutely concerned about our vacancy rate,” Michaud said.
It recently allowed single people to share units with roommates. Ten units were offered for rent and quickly snapped up. It’s also allowing younger people in seniors housing.
“We are using our housing units and our housing portfolio to provide the best possible service to people who are in housing need,” Michaud said.
The vacant units in Regina and Saskatoon represent millions of dollars in lost revenue annually. The current government has used cost as rationale for selling buses and liquor stores but has no plan to sell off its Regina and Saskatoon stock of vacant housing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'