Halifax needs to implement a rent freeze followed by legislation to reduce landlords' ability to buy up all of the viable living space in the city and charge exorbitant rents, profiting off the backs of hard working Haligonians whose only options are to pay up or live on the street. There is no free market where necessities are concerned and it is well past time we, as a society, pushed back against the commodification of housing. There is no reason for Halifax to have so many people living on the street or in tents while landlords make money hand over fist by extorting the people who can still afford to pay them. It is, frankly, disgusting.
In addition to controlling the skyrocketing price of rent, we need to develop more housing, but we shouldn't just approve every development put forward to city council regardless of its efficacy or environmental impact. We need more small footprint affordable housing in centralized locations, not luxury homes that push people to the edges of the city and endanger our natural waterways. The city needs to develop in ways that promote walkability, preserve the natural spaces we have inside the city limits, and meaningfully help the citizens of Halifax afford places to live.
I believe public transportation in this city should be expanded upon in terms of both hours of operation and coverage. Bussing should be a reliable and adequately available mode of transportation regardless of whether or not it's the weekend. Additionally, public transportation should be made free to use. If we actually want to reduce traffic and vehicle emissions, it does not make sense to directly charge people for not using cars to get around the city, and charging ever climbing bus fare also puts an undue burden on low income workers who might otherwise be willing to work a job further away in the city.
I have been a firm believer in a universal basic income for years. If people can meet their basic needs without their job they are automatically in a better position to negotiate with their workplace, pursue independent business ideas, or engage in voluntary community work. People should be empowered to walk away from jobs they don't feel fairly compensated for without the crushing fear of not being able to pay the bills looming over them if they miss a week's pay.
Currently, the city of Halifax taxes property. This makes it harder for people to buy homes to live in, while rental companies who buy up land for profit just factor the taxes into people's rent, pushing the cost onto people who just want a place to live in the city. I believe we should implement a simple, tiered municipal income tax to fund municipal projects as well as phase out the municipal property tax entirely.