The buck stops with Chris Ballard with his new affordable housing and poverty reduction portfolio

Ontario's newly appointed Minister of Housing and Minister Responsible for Poverty Reduction Strategy is Newmarket-Aurora MPP Chris Ballard. The Town of Newmarket Bulletin sat down with Mr. Ballard recently to discuss his new role within the Ontario government and what his going forward strategy will be as he addresses the needs of our growing region.

Mr. Ballard quickly pointed out that York Region is Canada's fastest growing municipality that includes challenges with the rate of urban intensification taking place. While this growth is exciting he acknowledged that it was potentially a double edged sword, and worried openly about rising market values for homes could mean that even his own kids may not be able to afford to live here when older.

Finding affordable housing in York Region is an on-going concern. Even people who have well paying jobs are struggling to keep on top of mortgage payments and rising cost of living. To top it off, rental rates are high in the region and those with lower incomes are struggling too.

This is the first time that the Housing Ministry has been directly tied to Poverty Reduction Strategy in a single ministry. Mr. Ballard feels this is the right way of tackling the interdependent issues.

He pointed to Bill 140 - Building Strong Communities Through Affordable Housing Act as an example of the kinds of positive actions governments can take to address the issues of affordable housing and poverty reduction. Mr. Ballard mused that inclusionary zoning that requires builders to construct affordable housing units could help address the issue.

When asked how he will balance his new ministerial responsibilities with his current workload, Mr. Ballard promised that even though he will be travelling more often, his constituents will still be well served.

Before being appointed to Cabinet, Mr. Ballard served as a Parliamentary Assistant so he does have some insight into the extra work involved.

"The buck stops with me," is how Mr. Ballard described the key difference between being a Parliamentary Assistant and a Minister.