Source: CPAC

In an interview with Nova Scotia Housing Minister John Lohr, he discussed the province’s plans to build 222 new public housing units, make more land available for developers, and other ways the province is looking to address the housing crisis.

“There’s no denying that there is a housing crisis right now, and everyone at our department is working on ways to improve the situation through a variety of programs, some of which are getting national attention,” Minister Lohr remarked in the interview.

The most noteworthy announcement out of Lohr’s department in recent months came when the province announced for the first time since 1993 that they will be building 222 new public housing units, 80 of which will be fully accessible.

When asked how the province arrived at 222 as the number of units to be built Lohr explained that while that number may not seem large, the primary motive for the new units is accessibility-“I think what drove us to towards plans to build new units was accessibility, we need more of it across the province, and we’ve seen previously that when we try and retrofit existing public housing it is more time-consuming and costly than just building brand new,”.

Lohr also expressed excitement over the Land For Housing Program which involves the government making provincially owned land available at virtually no cost to developers, provided they agree to build affordable housing, “There’s a lot of challenges with building affordably right now, and land prices are a part of that, so with this program we make it easier for developers to take on projects they otherwise might not,” Lohr said.

The most recent projects announced under the Lands for Housing program included plots of land in Lower Sackville, Cole Harbour, and Bridgewater, with more details on those projects expected later in 2024.

While no projects have been completed yet through the Land for Housing program Lohr feels that with developers already showing an interest in the properties they’ve made available through it, it could have larger applications, “We’re hearing lots of positive things about the program not just here but around the country and we think it’s something the federal government could do as well with the land they own in this province,”.

In the full interview which you can find a link to below Lohr also discussed the results from the recently completed housing needs survey, and how it will help his department and municipal bodies around the province work towards solving the housing crisis.