The province is taking steps to learn the depths of the housing crisis facing Nova Scotia by filling in holes in their data.

Currently there is no uniform way to compare the cost of housing to rent or buy between municipalities.

Executive Director of Housing Solutions and Development Stephan Richard says that’s why his department has issued a request for proposals for a provincial housing needs assessment.

“It’s going to be consistent. We’re going to be asking the same data, we’re going to be providing the same data to all municipalities,” said Richard. “So that’s going to be, we feel, and the commission felt, a game changer for decision-making whether it’s provincial or even federal programs are going to be influenced by this data.”

Getting accurate housing data was one of the 17 recommendations made by the Affordable Housing Commission in May 2021.

In that report, the commission noted while federal and provincial governments are responsible for housing, municipalities play a key role in determining how housing is developed.

But that means municipalities need reliable data to identify what types of housing, and how much, may be required to meet current and future need and demand, as well as how to drive policy and investment to close that gap.

Some of the factors the needs assessment study will examine in each of the 49 municipalities across Nova Scotia include: type and availability of housing, rental rates and purchase price and suitability of housing.

The province is currently accepting bids on the project and a budget won’t be announced until the winner is selected.

Work on the assessment is set to begin in March and a final report is scheduled to be presented to the minister by the end of the year.

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