Housing and Ideology

Political ideology may motivate involvement in the process of developing policy and electing legislators. It may be a serious obstacle to effective action particularly in the areas of housing, health care, and response to the climate crisis.

Signs of Crisis in HRM

Halifax Councillor Waye Mason has expressed that in this time of likely global housing price collapse, high interest rates, and recession we are in need of the government to help preserve our labour force by funding affordable housing construction. His concerns have been expressed in a letter to Nova Scotia Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister, John Lohr.

Finally and most importantly, you are responsible for affordable housing construction in Nova Scotia.  In the election, Premier Houston promised to deliver the Affordable Housing Commission report.  That report talks extensively about the need for social or below-market housing.   I say again to you Minister, the market will not produce below-market housing.

You need to have a massive plan to build affordable housing, and you needed it a year ago.  With the coming global housing price collapse, high-interest rates and recession, there has never been a better time for the government to help preserve our labour force by funding affordable housing construction. (Mason, 2022)

Dr. Catherine Leviten-Reid, a CCPA-NS Research Associate and an Associate Professor in the MBA in Community Economic Development program at Cape Breton University, reports that Nova Scotians urgently need the government to do more to address our province's lack of affordable housing.

Housing is a Human Right

Based on the last census, at least 48,000 renters in Nova Scotians reported paying at least 30 per cent of their income on shelter, leaving them vulnerable to losing their housing. That represents 35 per cent of tenants. That number is likely higher today.

The chronic lack of affordable units results in constrained choices for tenants or no choice at all. Responding to the chronic shortage of affordable housing primarily through rent supplements will not succeed without substantial investment in supply-side responses that generate affordable rentals. Beyond low vacancies, we know tenants face discrimination based on income source, interactions with the justice system, family type, and ethnicity, among other characteristics, again highlighting the need for greater tenant protection.

Changes to rent supplement design and the rental market are needed, as is a massive investment in public and nonprofit and cooperative rental housing stock. This investment must include scaling up the protection of existing affordable units by purchasing rental buildings for sale and facilitating ownership by non-market providers. The status quo level of investment is unacceptable, with more Nova Scotians finding themselves without a secure roof over their heads. (Leviten-Reid, 2023)

During the Second World War, Canadians and their government completely remade the economy -- retooling factories, transforming the workforce, and creating common cause among Canadians for the war effort. In A Good War, author and activist Seth Klein looks at the Second World War strategies and shows how they can be repurposed today for a rapid transition.

Housing in HRM from WWII

Canada Lands acquired approximately 34 hectares (86 acres) of the former military site at Shannon Park, Dartmouth in 2014 from the Department of National Defence (DND).

Deeply Affordable Housing Potential Site

The property includes a French immersion school. Large portions of the site have significant water frontage and offer a large, relatively flat area suitable for development. Steeper areas around the edge of the site offer views of the harbour.

Canada Lands undertook an extensive public engagement process, which resulted in the preparation of a preferred development plan in 2016. More recently, Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) sought community feedback to finalize the plan and prepare a development agreement. The plan has been evolving during the HRM planning and consultative process, with a focus on creating a community that provides opportunities for mixed use development. Although the majority of the plan will be focused on residential development, commercial and supporting professional services will be integrated. The final designs will ensure a mix of housing types and support public open space. The flow of the community will ensure pedestrian linkage throughout with strong connectivity to the future shoreline park. The development of the future parks will provide both active and passive green spaces. Public transit is also an integral part and consideration throughout. (Shannon Park, n.d.)

A short-sighted vision that relies primarily on the market to ensure everyone has access to housing underestimates this issue's tremendous rippling impact, which erodes efforts to build a healthy, growing, more inclusive province.

References

Klein, S. (2020). A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency. ECW Press.

Leviten-Reid, C. (2023, June 26). Lack of affordable housing in Nova Scotia requires urgent action. The Monitor. Retrieved June 26, 2023, from https://monitormag.ca/articles/lack-of-affordable-housing-in-nova-scotia-requires-urgent-action/

Mason, W. (2022, November 15). Correspondence from Councillor Mason to Minister Lohr Regarding Housing. Waye Mason, Councillor. Retrieved November 15, 2022, from https://wayemason.ca/2022/11/15/correspondence-from-councillor-mason-to-minister-lohr-regarding-housing/ 

Shannon Park. (n.d.). Canada Lands Company. Retrieved June 26, 2023, from https://www.clc-sic.ca/real-estate/shannon-park 

War Like Struggle for Peace and Health

A review of encyclical and letters from the Vatican in the past decades to determine the position of the Church on war may show an approach that is in transition to abolition of war.

Navy in Harbour

David Carroll Cochran writes that  that Catholicism’s call to abolish war, like its call to abolish the death penalty, is far from foolish.

Those who study trends in warfare find that greater economic development, more participation in international trade, and deeper involvement in regional intergovernmental bodies all significantly reduce a country’s risk of war. So too does democracy, the rule of law, and effective governance. The research also shows that there is much that the international community can do to promote these economic and political trends in countries most at risk of war. The use of mediation and peace agreements to resolve disputes between and within countries has been increasingly effective. Meanwhile, international peacekeeping missions and peace-and-reconciliation initiatives have significantly reduced the risk of conflict breaking out again in places where it has recently ended. Those who study armed conflict have also shown the effectiveness of diplomacy and sanctions in influencing state behavior without resort to war. Finally, studies show that in the past century nonviolent civil resistance has been twice as effective as armed struggle against both domestic dictators and foreign oppressors—and this effectiveness gap has grown even greater in the past few decades. The church’s ideas about peacemaking turn out to be pretty realistic after all.1

 

Some critics dismiss the church’s peacemaking commitments as more unrealistic sentimentality. George Weigel, for example, has described faith in greater international governance and multilateral cooperation as “inexplicably stupid” and lamented that this “fantasy” continues to appear in papal encyclicals. It is remarkable how much social-scientific research on armed conflict supports the effectiveness of the very tools Catholic teaching emphasizes.

1	alleviate poverty, inequality, protect human rights, promote democracy and the rule of law
2	conflicts resolved through nonviolent negotiation and mediation
3	robust international peacekeeping commitments
4	rely on diplomacy, sanctions, and incentives to uphold international norms
5	methods of nonviolent direct action as effective alternatives to armed struggle
Ref	(2016, January 4). A World Without War | Commonweal Magazine. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/world-without-war

 

Douglas P. Fry, Chair of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and  Geneviève Souillac, Associate Professor in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, report that peaceful societies are not utopian fantasy. They exist. They comment that skeptics might respond that there is no need to eliminate war from the planet. But such thinking is flawed in many respects.

“Peace systems” are clusters of neighboring societies that do not make war with each other and sometimes not at all. That means some peace systems are completely non-warring, whereas others only engage in acts of war outside the boundaries of the system. A systematic study of peace systems may hold valuable lessons about how to promote transborder cooperation desperately needed to meet the threats of climate change, pandemics, ecological collapse, and ticking nuclear catastrophe.2

 

Overblown military expenditures not only fail to deliver true security but also divert funding from sustainable development, education, healthcare, and other human necessities. Wars destroy the lives of combatants and civilians alike. The very presence of nuclear arsenals imperils the entire species, if not all forms of life on Earth. Wars distract attention, divert resources, and impede the concerted action required to successfully address plummeting biodiversity, soiling of the seas, displacement of peoples, ethnocide of indigenous peoples, pandemics, cataclysmic wildfires, and global warming itself. Waging of wars and oversized militarism hinder concerted “all hands on deck” responses to existential threats.

 

Charlie Smith, editor of the Georgia Straight Vancouver writes that author Seth Klein wants us all to wage A Good War to prevent a climate catastrophe.

The war effort made great use of posters, public radio, and the National Film Board to generate public support. Klein discovered in his research that the King government modified its message over time to woo more Canadians to fight fascism. Initially, government officials relied on traditional propaganda, with messages like ”Go get Hitler!” “Then they realized in ’41 that they actually had to shift gears,” Klein says. “If they were going to get the enlistment numbers that they needed, they had to engage people in a conversation about what kind of society they were going to come back to.” That led to economist Leonard Marsh’s 1943 Report on Social Security for Canada, which called for social insurance and public-welfare supports. It formed a blueprint for the creation of a welfare state after the war. Klein points out that the first income transfers occurred during the Second World War. And Tommy Douglas was elected premier of Saskatchewan in 1944, putting that province on the road toward creating the country’s first public health-insurance program.3

 

Some of the actions of a government at war have been experienced during the Covid epidemic.

Shift to Emergency Mode

War time like government involvement is likely to be required to implement the policy required to reduce the tremendous impact that the climate crisis will have on the world.

 

References

 

1	(2016, January 4). A World Without War | Commonweal Magazine. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/world-without-war
2	(2021, March 22). Peaceful societies are not utopian fantasy. They exist.. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://thebulletin.org/2021/03/peaceful-societies-are-not-utopian-fantasy-they-exist/
3	(2020, September 9). Vancouver author Seth Klein wants us all to wage A Good War to .... Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://www.straight.com/living/vancouver-author-seth-klein-wants-us-all-to-wage-a-good-war-to-prevent-a-climate-catastrophe

 

Climate Priorities for Capitalist and Socialist

Climate mitigation and adaptation strategies will need to be adopted by both capitalist, centrist, and socialist governments in the next decades.

Taking action in our community

 

Iman Ghosh reports on the Visual Capitalist website that greenhouse gases (GHGs)—chiefly in the form of CO₂ emissions—have risen at unprecedented rates as a result of global growth and resource consumption.

Billions of people rely on petrol and diesel-powered vehicles to get around. As a result, they contribute to almost 12% of global emissions. But this challenge is also an opportunity: the consumer adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) could significantly help shift the world away from fossil fuel use, both for passenger travel and for freight—although there are still speedbumps to overcome. Meanwhile, buildings contribute 17.5% of energy-related emissions overall—which makes sense when you realize the stunning fact that cities use 60-80% of the world’s annual energy needs. With megacities (home to 10+ million people) ballooning every day to house the growing urban population, these shares may rise even further. Agriculture, Forestry & Land Use

 

Sub-sector	GHG Emissions Share	Further breakdown
Transport	16.2%	• Road 11.9% • Aviation 1.9% • Rail 0.4% • Pipeline 0.3% • Ship 1.7%
Buildings	17.5%	• Residential 10.9% • Commercial 6.6%
Industry energy	24.2%	• Iron & Steel 7.2% • Non-ferrous metals 0.7% • Machinery 0.5% • Food and tobacco 1.0% • Paper, pulp & printing 0.6% • Chemical & petrochemical (energy) 3.6% • Other industry 10.6%
Agriculture & Fishing energy	1.7%	-
Unallocated fuel combustion	7.8%	-
Fugitive emissions from energy production	5.8%	• Coal 1.9% • Oil & Natural Gas 3.9%
Total	73.2%

The second biggest category of emissions is the sector that we rely on daily for the food we eat. Perhaps unsurprisingly, methane from cows and other livestock contribute the most to emissions, at 5.8% total. These foods also have some of the highest carbon footprints, from farm to table.1

 

Seth Klein, writing for the National Observer, states from the outset that, without question, a truly successful climate plan requires collective action at the political/policy level . Any plan that relies on individual households voluntarily doing what he spells out here will see us fry.

Reducing our carbon footprint

 

He owns his home, which provides him with privileges, opportunities and obligations to act that do not exist for most renters.

As stated up front, the path to victory on the climate emergency will not be won by encouraging and incentivizing households to voluntarily do what we did. While individual households all have their part to play, confronting the climate crisis requires collective and state-led action. As my family’s conversion journey makes clear, the process can be complicated and it is costly, and if we are hoping everyone will do this on their own, we’re going to lose the climate fight… Under any future scenario, as we confront the climate crisis, energy costs are going up, and thus, issues of energy poverty and cost stress for lower and middle-income households is an issue that needs to be mitigated. And that’s something we can only do together… while all this encouragement and financial assistance is needed (policy carrots), fuel swapping can’t be left to voluntary goodwill. We also need the state to set clear near-term dates by which fuel-swapping will be mandatory (the policy sticks). Tackling the climate crisis and eliminating GHGs from our homes isn’t optional. We need to get this done.2 

Ultimately, however, a comprehensive climate program does require that all our homes cease using fossil fuels.

• Induction electric stove: $2,000 plus tax
• Electric hot water heater and tank, including installation: $3,400 plus tax
• Heat pump system, including installation: $17,000 plus tax (minus $9,000 in rebates)

 

This article walks us through how that can be done. On twitter, the Earth carer called Angie, user (@lifelearner47) shares some statistics from the Climate Action Tracker on emission reduction goals and projected achievements of the leading industrial countries. The numbers in these reports identify the priority we need to place on transition from fossil fuels as our major source of energy for industry, transportation, and energy in our built environment.

 

Which countries think it's perfectly OK to aim for >4°C extra climate heating ?#Fossilfuel countries! What a surprise. pic.twitter.com/y2YTW1eOmj

— Earth carer called Angie (@lifelearner47) December 19, 2021

References

 

1	(2021, December 15). A Global Breakdown of Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Sector. Retrieved December 19, 2021, from https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/a-global-breakdown-of-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-sector/
2	(2021, December 10). Getting off gas: A how-to guide to get fossil fuels out of your home. Retrieved December 19, 2021, from https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/12/10/opinion/getting-gas-how-guide-get-fossil-fuels-out-your-home
3	Earth carer called Angie. [@lifelearner47]. 18 Dec 2021. Which countries think it's perfectly OK to aim for >4°C extra climate heating ? #Fossilfuel countries! What a surprise.Tweet.[tweetdeck].https://twitter.com/lifelearner47/status/1472504740051361794

An Emergency Response is Needed

The latest report from the IPCC indicates that imminent action to address the climate crisis will be required by the Canadian government after the September 2021 election. Seth Klein, an adjunct professor with Simon Fraser University’s urban studies program and the former BC director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, reviews his markers to know some signs one would expect to see when a government shifts to a wartime footing to attack the climate crisis

 

  (His book A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency (ECW Press) was published in September 2020.)

 

So here we sit, facing down the climate emergency, with a B.C. government climate plan that is zero for four when it comes to a convincing emergency response. There are things this provincial government is doing with respect to social and economic justice, housing and homelessness, and tax fairness for which I am grateful. The advancements with respect to child care are especially noteworthy. But the future of those children is now under threat. Decisive action is needed to protect them, as well as other vulnerable populations who are more likely to experience the worst ravages of the climate crisis. The Horgan government needs to hear a resounding wake-up call: Reboot your climate plan and transform it into a real emergency plan. Invite us to join in a grand societal undertaking, one that leaves no one behind and banishes unemployment as we undertake this task of our lives.1

1. Adopt an emergency mindset.

2. Shift from voluntary measures to mandatory policies. 

3. Rally the public at every turn.

4. Create the economic institutions needed to get the job done. 

5. Spend what it takes to win.

6. Stop trying to appease those who seek to block necessary action.1

 

The Climate Emergency Unit believe it is time for Canada to enter true #ClimateEmergency mode. They have produced a new video ( https://youtu.be/XUJw5cLyfEk ) to show what that would look like.

We all know that climate change is real and we need to dramatically reduce our greenhouse gases as soon as possible, but Canada's emissions have only stagnated since the world agreed to work together on this climate emergency. Using these lessons from WW2, we can envision what true climate action looks like.2

 

Our ballot box decision will be influenced by the need for the next government to act forcefully in the war against the GHG emissions increasing the temperature of the planet.

 

References

1	(2021, July 19). BC is in a state of climate emergency with no emergency plan. Retrieved August 24, 2021, from https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/07/19/opinion/bc-climate-emergency-no-plan
2	(2021, June 23). 4 Hopeful Lessons from WW2 to Confront Climate Change - YouTube. Retrieved August 24, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUJw5cLyfEk