Poilievre says he wants to work with Windsor's mayor following comments on the HAF

The leader of the Conservative Party says he wants to work with Windsor's mayor and other mayors to allow for more homes to be built.

Pierre Poilievre retweeted a post made by Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens on X regarding the Housing Accelerator Fund, after Dilkens replied to a comment about Tecumseh being approved for the program despite not having to allow four units as-of-right on every lot.

In the social media post, Dilkens stated that his prediction is that the entire HAF program will be gone within a year. He states "Bring it home Pierre Poilievre and save us from this ongoing Liberal incompetence".

In January 2024, Windsor was rejected by Housing Minister Sean Fraser to receive any Housing Accelerator Funding.

In July, city council had the chance to apply for the program again, however, they were told they must allow four units on any residential lot as-of-right. Council decided to not apply.

Speaking on AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides, Poilievre says 36 per cent of the cost of a new home in Ontario today is taxes.

Taxes, land transfer taxes, and development taxes, the second biggest cost is bureaucracy, which is the delays, the consultants, the accountants, the lawyers, the lobbyist you have to hire to get your permit. So, were spending probably twice as much on bureaucracy and taxes as we spend on the carpenters, the electricians, and plumbers that actually build the homes."

He says he'll take the federal sales tax off new homes to save Windsor families money.

"Drew Dilkens, the mayor, has sped up building permits and freed up land to build, and that's why construction is booming in Windsor under his highly competent leadership. But guess what, the government in Ottawa is punishing him for being competent."

Poilievre says construction is booming in Windsor because of Dilkens.

"I want to work with mayor Dilkens and other mayors to speed up permits, free up land, and cut development taxes to build 15 per cent more homes, per year, so that our young people once again can put roof over head, and our people can afford a place to live."

After Windsor's rejection early this year, Dilkens responded in his own letter stating that he was disappointed as the city pursues major initiatives to address the housing crisis.

The Town of Tecumseh received an update on their HAF application last week, where council was presented options of where they could allow four units per lot.

Option 1 would permit up to four units per lot on greenfield sites and to allow three units in existing neighbourhoods. Option 2 would be to permit three additional residential units (ARU) per lot town-wide but only permit a fourth unit to a single-detached house. And Option 3 would be to permit up to four units per lot town-wide.

By AM800's Meagan Delaurier and Patty Handysides