A pair of petitions designed to bring attention to the housing issues in Estevan were presented in the provincial legislature last week.
NDP MLA and housing critic David Forbes presented the two petitions that were started by members of the Estevan NDP Constituency at a meeting on housing earlier this year. One petition called for a freeze on rental prices in all buildings and holdings in the province while the other asked for a freeze on the lot fees charged in mobile home parks.
Forbes said he was very happy to present the petitions on behalf of the local group and noted there were 750 signatures between the two of them.
"Estevan is facing a real challenge here in Saskatchewan with a vacancy rate of 0.6 per cent and the rents are comparable to Vancouver," he said. "It's just too much and people are having trouble making ends meet."
Forbes said the housing shortage has a broad impact on the community, as a number of people who would like to work in Estevan are unable to because they cannot find accommodations. Forbes added families that have been in the city for years are leaving because the cost of living is so high. The city also had a homeless shelter operating over the winter months.
"This is really unique for a city that is doing so well that this should be happening," Forbes said of the shelter. "It's important that the government take a look at this."
Forbes feels the government has fallen down on the housing issue and needs to step up and begin building rental properties throughout the province.
"They will offer small grants, incentives but they really focus in on home ownership and really the challenge that we see today in so many of our communities is around rental accommodations - what they call purpose built rental accommodations so that they are truly apartments and they are not going to be converted to condos in five years."
Forbes said the lack of rental properties is also hitting the senior community hard as many of them are on a fixed income and unable to afford the high prices being charged.
