Communities have a choice with federal money, says housing minister [Video]

The federal government can’t force municipalities to change their zoning bylaws, says federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser — but they should not expect Ottawa to hand over money to keep doing things the way they’ve always been done.

Fraser was on P.E.I. Friday to attend the Atlantic Mayors’ Congress in Summerside.

In an interview before that meeting, Fraser told Island Morning‘s Steve Bruce the shortage of housing that was long a problem mostly in Canada’s largest urban centres has spread beyond city borders across the country, including in Atlantic Canada.

“Increasingly we’re hearing it from … not just cities, but small communities as well,” he said.

“The problem has expanded beyond access to housing for low-income families, and it’s having a dramatic impact for middle-class families who can’t afford a place in the market, who’ve seen rents that have gone out of control, or purchase prices that are beyond reach for a generation of young people.”

The housing crunch …