Non-answers

We all know politicians never give answers to questions -- straight or otherwise.  A couple of examples popped up in the media this weekend:

Our "woke" mayor.

Calgary Mayor Joyti Gondek, above -- she of the pie-in-sky PhD in urban sociology -- penned a ludicrous piece in 'The Calgary Herald' entitled, "We must act to ensure affordable housing".  Hello, Joyti, you're the "we" in that heading.  You and city council are the reason nothing ever gets built because you cripple and tie the hands of developers with fees and licences and permits and zoning and nimby-ism ad nauseum.

She goes on to outline a number of steps that are required to get affordable housing built.  Each "step" is nothing more than a question with no answer!  

She says "we" have to create more housing with secondary suites.  Nimby-ism will see that doesn't happen.

"We" have to build more infrastructure.  Over to you, Madam Mayor.

"We" have to hold the provincial and federal government accountable for more housing.  In other words, give us more money.  Won't be happening.

The public needs an opportunity to weigh in on changes to what gets built in their neighbourhoods.  Again, nimby-ism will absolutely ensure that doesn't happen.

It's all well and good to have a PhD, but it renders one incapable of practical action.  That's Gondek's biggest problem.  

'The Globe and Mail' editorial today sums it up perfectly:

"How to play the housing blame game:  The provinces oversee cities and for too long have ignored civic rules that heavily restrict new housing.  The real blame belongs to cities.  The core issue in an inability to build enough new homes because too much land is zoned for low density.  Building four-storey apartment buildings, the essential, change is illegal on most civic land. 

"Calgary council -- hello Jyoti, that's you and your side-kicks -- actually voted against expanding housing units to four-per-lot, instead of two.  In the words of Conservative MP Scott Aitchison, 'It's time to legalize more home building'.

"Problem is, it's city halls that have their hands on the switch."

I bet Gondek didn't know 'The Globe' would be trashing her arguments the very next day.  Kind'a check-mated the poor soul.

________________________

Then there's Sean Fraser, federal housing and infrastructure minister:  

Fraser

Trudeau has just shuffled him from the immigration frying pan, where he was minister, into the housing fire, where he will have to find abodes for all the immigrants he let into the country.  Kind of a neat and pernicious trick by Trudeau to ensure a clear rival gets two portfolios that will kill his chances of replacing the current PM.  Both are complete messes, about which the hapless Fraser will be unable to do anything.

Vassy Kapelos interviewed him this past weekend and asked for answers as to why he allowed so many immigrants into Canada, when he was that minister, and yet there was no housing for them, now that he is the minister of the mess he created.

Fraser's answer?  "We have to ensure they have safe and adequate housing."  Well, duh, that was the question, but what's the answer?  He didn't have one.  She pushed again.  "With all due respect, minister, how do you propose to accomplish that when there is no housing?"  Nothing.

Dumping the mess into the abyss, Fraser said, "We are working with partners in both the private and public sectors (to get them to pay for it) and all options are on the table," he hopelessly offered. 

"But what are you planning?" Kapelos vainly tried again.  Exactly the same non-answer fell out of Fraser's mouth.

You get the idea.  No one has any answers to anything.  So, immigrants -- legal and illegal -- will continue to fill up hotels at great cost to the taxpayer forever-and-ever-amen.

What are they doing here and where are they going to live?!

We're so effed.