Minister, a few months ago I expressed to you my concern that the way you structured the housing accelerator fund pitted very small cities against very large cities. The cut-off for the urban stream is a population of 10,000 people. The community I had in mind at the time was the City of Terrace, which has a population of about 12,000. The mayor has expressed this concern to me directly.
In your response, you indicated that you were also a rural MP and that you were going to ensure that those small communities had a fighting chance in the fund. The City of Terrace's application to the housing accelerator was turned down by your government, and now the city is wondering where your government stands when it comes to supporting their housing priorities.
Just for context, the City of Terrace has been significantly affected by industrial development in northwest B.C. It's a regional service centre. It lacks lots of the revenue opportunities that other communities are able to tap into through those industries.
They have a housing crisis. They want to build housing, and the city wants to partner with your government to make that happen. What's your message to community leaders in Terrace? Are you willing to sit down with me as soon as possible and discuss their priorities so that we can find a way to ensure that federal dollars make their way to that community?