Here's
something interesting I found while doing research, weirdly, for something else entirely.
This map shows the number of people on affordable housing waiting lists across Canada. If you calculate those numbers as a percentage of each city's population, (not metro area, just the city) Toronto and Halifax are the worst. I'm actually a bit surprised that Halifax isn't better off than Toronto in this regard--our median income is about the same, and our unemployment rate and housing costs are both substantially lower. Maybe, of course, it has to do with the poorer, more rural parts of the HRM being included. Or maybe we've just done a bad job of keeping up with demand.
I'm a bit surprised Vancouver has so few, but maybe that's just because the city already has done such a good job, comparatively, of providing affordable housing, keeping its waiting list small.
Anyway, long story short: We need this project.