Thank you, Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses today.
I want to begin by asking Ms. Bowers a question relating to something she raised earlier, which was the housing accelerator fund. I ask that in light of the fact—and it is a fact, one that should not escape the attention of this committee—that housing and homelessness are not just the business of the federal government but need to be addressed by all levels of government. This is not to absolve the federal government of its responsibilities, certainly.
Just this past weekend, I listened to two economists. One was from the Smart Prosperity Institute and the other from the C.D. Howe Institute. They outlined how municipal policy and distortions in terms of supply and demand give rise to homelessness. The point was made that you have people driving until they qualify, if I can put it that way. This has been especially the case in southern Ontario and the GTA. The GTA is very expensive in terms of housing. People would go outside of the GTA to find an interest rate that suited them. In turn, those middle-class folks, once they settled in communities, would go into areas and buy up homes. Those homes would be renovated, gentrifying the area. You have the problem of “renovictions” taking shape. That renoviction challenge leads to homelessness in some cases. It's not in all cases, but it can.
Where I'm going with that, Ms. Bowers, is this: How can the housing accelerator fund help to deal with the challenge, specifically on the supply/demand distortions we see in municipalities so that more housing can be built and we can meaningfully address the challenge of homelessness? I do think the municipalities are our partners. I do think that the accelerator fund can help in this regard.
How do you think it can help address what I've just outlined?