Nova Scotia’s housing minister is apologizing after saying he does not want to “create a ghetto” during a discussion about affordable housing.
In a statement, Minister John Lohr said he “made the wrong word choice” when speaking with a reporter about mixed-income developments on Thursday.
“It is not a word I should have used, and I apologize for using it,” he said.
“Every Nova Scotian deserves a safe and affordable place to live. Home is our safe place, and our communities are stronger when they have diversity of race, age, culture and income.
“As we tackle the housing crisis, I know it’s my job to ensure that I am considering equity, fairness and the best possible outcomes for any Nova Scotian who needs our support, and it is a role I take very seriously.”
He said he promises to choose his words more carefully in the future.
Lohr, who happens to be a landlord, made the comment while being questioned by a reporter about how “affordable” housing is defined following cabinet on Thursday.
“There is a philosophy out there that we want to have mixed income developments. In other words, we do not want to create a ghetto,” Lohr said at the time.
“So we’re not going to have every unit in a building or an area affordable. We want to have mixed income.”
‘It’s hurtful’
The casual use of such a loaded word was shocking to Suzy Hansen, the NDP housing spokesperson and the MLA for Halifax Needham.
She noted the history of “ghettos” and their role in segregating Black and Jewish people.
“The word can be offensive. It’s hurtful. It’s just not a word you use anymore,” she said. “I was very, very upset when I heard that.”
Hansen, who used to live in Uniacke Square and currently rents her home, said part of the issue behind the province’s housing crisis is that those in charge of fixing it often own their homes and do not know what it’s like to struggle to afford rent.
“They’re so far removed from the real life of what is actually happening,” she said. “It just seems like they continue to miss the mark.”
Lorelei Nicoll, the Liberal critic for housing and the MLA for Cole Harbour-Dartmouth, said she supports mixed-use housing and understood what Lohr was trying to say, but said his comment was a “very poor choice of words,” especially since it was made on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
She said that kind of language stigmatizes people who live in low-income housing.
“The fact that you’re isolating a group and identifying them that way … that’s disparaging to anyone that’s living where they can afford to live,” she said.
Nicoll also noted that housing affordability is a growing issue in Nova Scotia.
“Where we are with the pandemic and the market value of homes and the affordability being so hard for first-time buyers … I even hear from seniors who are wondering if they will be able to stay in their homes,” she said.
“We all need to have a reality check and we all need to be looking after each other.”
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