Kolb pleased with infrastructure investments in federal budget

Peel Region Chair Emil Kolb has commended investments in infrastructure and the immigration system announced Tuesday in the 2008 federal budget.

"Investments in people is what Peel needs now," Kolb commented. "We are encouraged that the federal budget includes a plan for improving the immigration system and for making the gas tax fund for infrastructure permanent, but more needs to be done to address poverty in Peel and Canada."

The Region is committed to working with the federal government in partnership to address poverty, he added, pointing out the federal government can target poverty in a significant way by investing in affordable housing.

In Peel, applicants have to wait up to 21 years for any available social housing units. Currently, Peel has more than 13,800 units, some of which were created with federal funding. As a high growth area, Peel reports that the situation will only worsen.

"The cost of affordable housing is bigger than any one government can afford, therefore a partnership approach is needed, one that involves working closely with the federal government," Kolb commented. "With federal housing programs expiring in March 2009, a national housing strategy is a priority to address the serious lack of affordable housing and to protect the social housing assets we do have from deteriorating."

"We have the working poor and families housed in our shelters," added Mississauga Regional Councillor Carolyn Parrish, chair of the Region's new Government Relations Committee. "They need social housing."

Peel is seen as the new face of Canada with approximately 34,000 new residents settling in the region annually. Because the majority of these people are new immigrants, Peel is faced with the challenge of integrating them into the economy. To do so, it requires the federal government to fast track qualified new immigrants for employment so that the Canadian economy can benefit from their highdemand skills.

Peel residents face many poverty-related challenges that the Region is eager to work with the federal government to address. They include more than 13,000 households which will be waiting for up to 21 years for social housing and the fact that Peel receives less for settlement programs than other jurisdictions, harming newcomers' ability to find work.

"We welcome the opportunity to sit down with the federal government and determine how we can best meet these needs of Canadians who call Peel home," Kolb concluded.