MPs call for Ottawa to cancel military rent hike
Military ombudsman calls planned increase “tone deaf,” refutes claim by defence minister that military homelessness reports are false.
Published Feb 9, 2024 at 12:00am
Teresa Wright
Members of Parliament from all four major political parties in Ottawa are calling on the government to cancel an upcoming rent increase for military personnel living in National Defence accommodations.
On April 1, rents for Forces members living in DND housing will increase by a national average of 4.2 per cent., based on an annual consumer price index (CPI) adjustment calculation.
Because CPI percentages vary in different provinces, the upcoming increase may be even higher in some parts of the country.
Canada’s military ombudsman, Gregory Lick, called the rent hike “tone deaf” at a time the Canadian Armed Forces has been struggling to recruit and retain personnel and when costs of living for all Canadians have been soaring.
“I think it’s a bit tone deaf right now, in terms of what we’re seeing across Canada, for all families, being able to afford housing,” Lick told MPs at the Commons national defence committee this week.
“Military families and members are disadvantaged because they have to move more often and… rarely do they have that choice. Therefore, they have to go into a community, find housing and it may not be available, and then they get pushed into sometimes not safe housing, sometimes unaffordable housing, not accessible housing for families with special needs or disabilities in the family.”
Following Lick’s testimony, Conservative defence critic James Bezan tabled a motion Wednesday calling for the rental increase for CAF housing to be cancelled immediately.
It passed unanimously with support from all MPs on the committee, including the Liberal parliamentary secretary for the defence minister, Marie-France Lalonde, as well as members of the Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois parties.
The government has not yet responded to the committee’s motion.
The move comes amid rising concerns about housing for CAF members, including reports of some active duty Armed Forces personnel in Nova Scotia living in precarious situations due to a lack of available or affordable housing.
Representatives from the Royal Canadian Legion, the Halifax & Region Military Family Resource Centre and Halifax Regional Municipality told a provincial legislative committee in Nova Scotia December there were active-duty members living in tents, living in vehicles, couchsurfing and remaining in unsafe relationships to secure housing.
Defence Minister Bill Blair called these reports “false” in the House of Commons last week, pointing to a wellness check completed by the Department of National Defence following news coverage of the testimony. The wellness check determined no CAF members in the Maritimes had reported they were homeless or living in precarious situations, Blair said.
When questioned about these conflicting reports this week, Lick, the military ombudsman, told MPs he has indeed heard from military personnel across the country struggling with homelessness and precarious housing.
“What I am hearing is that there are some members who at different points in time have been or are homeless,” Lick said.
“They are living in RVs, they are couchsurfing. In some cases, one dependent told me that they were homeless for five months now.”
Asked by Bezan whether Blair’s characterization of the reports of military homelessness was “false or misleading at best,” Lick agreed.
“I think so, absolutely,” he said.
A wellness check may not be the best tool to determine whether Forces members are experiencing a crisis, Lick said, as it would require them to voluntarily disclose information that might cause embarrassment or possibly have career implications.
“I think simply relying on a wellness check is not the right thing to do solely,” Lick told the committee.
“You have to rely on all your various sources of information, including our organization as well, which talks to members, talks families – they have the opportunity to tell us various things that they may be too embarrassed or are afraid to be able to tell their leadership.”
While leaders on bases are working hard to support their members, they do not have the resources to help with all the mounting pressures of rising costs of living on military families, Lick added.
Wait lists for military housing have increased significantly, including a 177 per cent increase in Bagotville and a 261 per cent increase in Edmonton so far this year. In Esquimalt, Halifax, and Trenton, there are almost as many members and their families on the waitlist for military housing than there are total units, he said.
For those fortunate to get a military housing unit, Lick said he has received reports and photos of “absolutely horrid” deterioration in some units, including mould on walls, broken fixtures and heating problems.
That’s why the ombudsman is calling for the federal government to create an accommodations strategy for the military, who he says face disproportionate negative impacts of the nationwide housing crisis due to requirements for them to relocate, sometimes with little notice.
He called the harsh realities facing housing for Armed Forces members a “tragic situation,” noting that the No. 1 reason people are leaving the Canadian Armed Forces is due to military family issues, including housing and cost-of-living pressures, Lick said.
“No CAF members nor their families should ever have to worry about putting a roof over their heads or to wonder where their next meal is coming from,” he told MPs.
“This is a basic need and should not become a stressor and impede CAF members’ ability to keep Canadians safe.”
Military ombudsman calls planned increase “tone deaf,” refutes claim by defence minister that military homelessness reports are false.
Published Feb 9, 2024 at 12:00am
Teresa Wright
Members of Parliament from all four major political parties in Ottawa are calling on the government to cancel an upcoming rent increase for military personnel living in National Defence accommodations.
On April 1, rents for Forces members living in DND housing will increase by a national average of 4.2 per cent., based on an annual consumer price index (CPI) adjustment calculation.
Because CPI percentages vary in different provinces, the upcoming increase may be even higher in some parts of the country.
Canada’s military ombudsman, Gregory Lick, called the rent hike “tone deaf” at a time the Canadian Armed Forces has been struggling to recruit and retain personnel and when costs of living for all Canadians have been soaring.
“I think it’s a bit tone deaf right now, in terms of what we’re seeing across Canada, for all families, being able to afford housing,” Lick told MPs at the Commons national defence committee this week.
“Military families and members are disadvantaged because they have to move more often and… rarely do they have that choice. Therefore, they have to go into a community, find housing and it may not be available, and then they get pushed into sometimes not safe housing, sometimes unaffordable housing, not accessible housing for families with special needs or disabilities in the family.”
Following Lick’s testimony, Conservative defence critic James Bezan tabled a motion Wednesday calling for the rental increase for CAF housing to be cancelled immediately.
It passed unanimously with support from all MPs on the committee, including the Liberal parliamentary secretary for the defence minister, Marie-France Lalonde, as well as members of the Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois parties.
The government has not yet responded to the committee’s motion.
The move comes amid rising concerns about housing for CAF members, including reports of some active duty Armed Forces personnel in Nova Scotia living in precarious situations due to a lack of available or affordable housing.
Representatives from the Royal Canadian Legion, the Halifax & Region Military Family Resource Centre and Halifax Regional Municipality told a provincial legislative committee in Nova Scotia December there were active-duty members living in tents, living in vehicles, couchsurfing and remaining in unsafe relationships to secure housing.
Defence Minister Bill Blair called these reports “false” in the House of Commons last week, pointing to a wellness check completed by the Department of National Defence following news coverage of the testimony. The wellness check determined no CAF members in the Maritimes had reported they were homeless or living in precarious situations, Blair said.
When questioned about these conflicting reports this week, Lick, the military ombudsman, told MPs he has indeed heard from military personnel across the country struggling with homelessness and precarious housing.
“What I am hearing is that there are some members who at different points in time have been or are homeless,” Lick said.
“They are living in RVs, they are couchsurfing. In some cases, one dependent told me that they were homeless for five months now.”
Asked by Bezan whether Blair’s characterization of the reports of military homelessness was “false or misleading at best,” Lick agreed.
“I think so, absolutely,” he said.
A wellness check may not be the best tool to determine whether Forces members are experiencing a crisis, Lick said, as it would require them to voluntarily disclose information that might cause embarrassment or possibly have career implications.
“I think simply relying on a wellness check is not the right thing to do solely,” Lick told the committee.
“You have to rely on all your various sources of information, including our organization as well, which talks to members, talks families – they have the opportunity to tell us various things that they may be too embarrassed or are afraid to be able to tell their leadership.”
While leaders on bases are working hard to support their members, they do not have the resources to help with all the mounting pressures of rising costs of living on military families, Lick added.
Wait lists for military housing have increased significantly, including a 177 per cent increase in Bagotville and a 261 per cent increase in Edmonton so far this year. In Esquimalt, Halifax, and Trenton, there are almost as many members and their families on the waitlist for military housing than there are total units, he said.
For those fortunate to get a military housing unit, Lick said he has received reports and photos of “absolutely horrid” deterioration in some units, including mould on walls, broken fixtures and heating problems.
That’s why the ombudsman is calling for the federal government to create an accommodations strategy for the military, who he says face disproportionate negative impacts of the nationwide housing crisis due to requirements for them to relocate, sometimes with little notice.
He called the harsh realities facing housing for Armed Forces members a “tragic situation,” noting that the No. 1 reason people are leaving the Canadian Armed Forces is due to military family issues, including housing and cost-of-living pressures, Lick said.
“No CAF members nor their families should ever have to worry about putting a roof over their heads or to wonder where their next meal is coming from,” he told MPs.
“This is a basic need and should not become a stressor and impede CAF members’ ability to keep Canadians safe.”
