For Immediate Release
February 6, 2025
“People, through no fault of their own, are forced to limit their portions, put things back. I’ve never struggled so hard in my life to make sure my daughter has the food she needs. It’s a crisis.”
Last night, NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) held a Cost of Living Town Hall where attendees relayed their personal stories, highlighting just how the crises in housing, cost of living, and healthcare, are impacting their lives everyday.
“We heard heartbreaking stories from people who can't afford to put food on the table, who are forced to choose between heating their homes or eating. Seniors are terrified of being evicted, watching rents skyrocket with nowhere to turn,” said Dinn. “This crisis didn’t happen overnight—it’s the result of years of government after government refusing to invest in the social services and supports people rely on.”
The night began with community organizations and non-profits speaking about what they are experiencing on the ground. Speakers included Sharron Callahan (NL Public Sector Pensioners Association), Josh Smee (Food First NL), Lesley Burgess (Bridges to Hope), and Rosalind Langer (Co-operative Housing Association of NL). Dinn says it was important to highlight the incredible work these groups are doing and showing people that they are not alone in their struggles, and help is out there.
“If we want to address these crises, government needs to have the political will to act. This means introducing a basic income, raising the seniors’ benefit and indexing it to inflation, bringing in rent controls and investing in non-market, community based housing, like co-op housing,” said Dinn. “There are many levers to pull here to put more money in people’s pockets for basic needs, but government continues to stick to the status quo.”
Dinn says the overall message of the night is that government is not doing enough to meaningfully address the gaps in social services which continue to let people fall through the cracks. He goes on to say that it shows that governments lack of investment into the social determinants of health has led us here.
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For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Media and Communications Officer, NDP Caucus at 330-0328 (o), or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca
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