Solve the Housing Crisis

Canada's housing crisis has arrived on Lethbridge's doorstep and our once affordable city is feeling the crunch. Decades of NIMBYism, restrictive zoning, and urban sprawl have left us with a structural housing deficit that is causing housing costs to increase by double digit amounts every year. Fortunately for us, there are solutions that will empower us to build our way out of the housing crisis and into a sustainable future:

> Eliminate restrictive zoning and land use regulations that make it illegal to build middle density and mixed-use neighbourhoods.

> Actively densify housing along transit corridors.

> Support housing cooperatives and tenant unions to fight back against landlords.

> Provide supportive housing and addiction treatment to help our unhoused neighbours.

> Regulate short term rentals to ensure long term housing is available to those who need it.

Embrace Transportation Freedom

Traffic congestion in Lethbridge is intensifying and will only worsen if we continue forcing people to drive. Creating real freedom in how we get around is the proven solution to improve traffic for everyone:

> Prioritize implementing Lethbridge’s Cycling Master Plan to make cycling a real choice.

> Properly fund public transport so we can extend bus route hours and increase frequency.

> Pressure the province to build the Highway 3 Bypass and heal the divide between Lethbridge’s North and South sides.

> Promote work from home to give us more flexibility on where we live while reducing traffic.

Support Community Sustainability

We can enhance our resilience to climate change and push back against the loneliness epidemic by supporting our local communities. A more livable Lethbridge is a more sustainable Lethbridge:

> Restore library funding so they can stay open every evening and offer more services.

> Legalize urban hen keeping (up to 4 hens per property) to provide people with sustainable egg production.

> Plant trees and greenify overly paved areas to reduce the urban heat island effect.

> Promote replacing grass with native plants and xeriscaping to reduce water usage and restore biodiversity.

Tax the Rich

Our current system of property taxes places most of our tax burden on renters and middle-income home owners while the rich are given a break. We can build a better Lethbridge while improving affordability for most by replacing property taxes with a Land Value Tax (Wikipedia link). This will allow us to:

> Reduce our tax burden while ensuring the rich pay their fair share.

> Penalize leaving land empty while rewarding development.

> Raise the funds needed to Solve the Housing Crisis, Embrace Transportation Freedom, and Support Community Sustainability.

Climate Action

We fix the climate by solving our problems and improving our communities.

> Building missing middle housing is climate action.

> Building walkable communities is climate action.

> Building bike infrastructure is climate action.

> Building public transit is climate action.

> Taxing the rich is climate action.

> Unionization is climate action.

> Working from home is climate action.

> Investment in rural communities is climate action.

> Transitioning to a 30-hour work week is climate action.