Regina City Council,

Canada is in a housing crisis. And it's affecting us here in Regina too.

Regina's residents are feeling the squeeze, and are finding themselves locked out of hard-to-find affordable housing.

It's not just the growing number of people in living tents who are hurting. Many more Regina residents are looking at their mortgages or rents and feeling that panic, knowing they may have to move out, live with friends or family, or cut their expenses to the bone.

But in the face of this crisis, Regina City Council may decide to do nothing about it, and pass up a chance to bring home $36 million in Federal Funding for housing, to build over 1,000 new housing units. That's housing our community sorely needs.

Leaving the money on the table would be political malpractice.

So that’s why we’re launching this petition, bringing together the voices of Regina residents who are struggling, those who are concerned about the housing crisis, and everyone who knows the status quo can’t continue.

We the undersigned believe that Regina City Council must Cut Housing Red Tape to access $36.4 million in funding from the Housing Accelerator Fund.​

This summer, Regina City Council unanimously adopted a plan to apply for funding from the CMHC Housing Accelerator Fund.

Now, the CBC is reporting that Council may waver and turn down the money because the City is being asked to make few changes that will cut red tape and get housing gatekeepers out of the way.

To access billions of dollars in funding, many cities across Canada – ​such as Calgary, Halifax, and Mississauga – are meeting the moment, getting out of their comfort zones by putting aside old, outdated planning dogma from the 1950s, and allowing more housing be built right where it’s needed.

We’re tired of our city crumbling around us – giant potholes and sinkholes, homeless camps, incompetent snow clearing, toxic pipes, traffic jams, asphalt being used as sidewalks, countless costly white elephant projects that benefit insiders, trashy City marketing campaigns, endless scandals, drama and misbehaviour.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

It's time for City Council to get to work on real problems felt by real people – not just the six-figure salaried staff at REAL – and address the housing crisis now.

If Regina City Council can’t get out of the way, and put the cash to use here in Regina, what good are they?

With one year left to go until Election Day, members of Council who vote against affordable housing and turn down Regina's fair share of cash will have a lot of explaining to do at the doorsteps.

That is why we are standing up to say, Regina City Council - Cut Housing Red Tape, Collect 36 million dollars!