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Saskatoon mayor joins letter calling for action on affordable housing ahead of election

Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark is pictured in this file photo. Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark is pictured in this file photo.
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SASKATOON -

Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark has joined 17 other mayors from across the country asking federal party leaders to take action on housing and homelessness.

They penned an open letter to five federal party leaders calling for urgent action on housing as voters head to the polls on Monday.

“Homelessness and housing need have not always existed on the scale we see today. The rise of homelessness and so many living in unaffordable, unsafe housing is the direct result of federal withdrawal from investment in affordable housing and social services starting in the 1980s. This situation was created by federal policy, and it will take federal leadership to reverse its devastating consequences,” the collaborative letter says.

The letter endorses a six-point “Vote Housing” platform which includes calling for a commitment to the prevention and elimination of homelessness, and to commit to supportive housing. It also calls for expanded rental assistance for low income households.

Some of the cities represented in the letter include Winnipeg, Edmonton, Quebec City, Regina, Calgary, Montreal, Halifax, Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa.

A news release from Clark’s office says the mayors who signed the letter represent over 13.6 million people across Canada.

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