Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thanks to the committee for that.
I want to start by sharing this, which I've shared with the minister before: In my community, homelessness has not gone up by 12%; it's gone up by 300%. Our last point-in-time count, in 2015, had just over 300 people. In 2021, that same point-in-time count led to over 1,000 people. I wonder if I could ask for a document to be tabled from officials with this 12% figure. Could that be tabled for the committee? Thank you.
Second, I want to follow up on a question I asked of the minister on Monday night with respect to definitions. The definition of “affordability” is very important. In fact, one of the recommendations from the Auditor General—5.62 on page 33—is this: “Take the necessary steps to align the definitions of affordability for all initiatives so that they are consistent.” Recognizing that, for the co-investment fund, for example, the definition being used is not 30% of income; it's 80% of market rent. Only 30% of the units have to be 80% of market rent.
Can the minister commit, or have actions already been taken—the report came out back in November—to align the definitions, as the Auditor General called for? Ideally, that definition will be the 30% income definition and not this 80% of market rent.