By Sean Delaney
When I sat down with Matias de Dovitiis, the NDP candidate for Humber River–Black Creek, his message was clear: life has become too expensive for far too many people, and it’s time for real solutions.
“The two biggest issues we face here are housing and affordability,” Matias told me. “Whether you’re renting or owning, the cost is too high. And if you’re a senior living on a pension, it’s even harder.”
Matias has lived in the community for years and has served it in many ways—as a city council staff member, executive director of a local business improvement area, and most recently as a school board trustee. He told me he understands the struggles of families, young people, and seniors because he lives with them, too. “I shop at the same stores, I see the price of groceries going up, I know what it means to stretch a dollar,” he said.
We spoke at length about housing. Matias believes governments need to get back into building affordable homes. “We used to build co-ops. Regular working people could afford a place to live,” he said. “Now, someone earning minimum wage can’t even afford a one-bedroom apartment for $2,200.”
He gave an example that really struck me. “There’s a co-op by York University—four-bedroom townhomes there go for $1,600. That’s less than what you’d pay for a one-bedroom at Finch and Weston,” he said. “We stopped treating housing like a basic need and turned it into a business. We need to reverse that.”
Matias also wants to improve life for seniors. He’s pushing for an increase in pensions. “Right now, a senior living on CPP and OAS gets about $1,200 or $1,300 a month. That’s not enough to live on,” he said. “We tried during the pandemic to raise pensions to $2,000, but the government said it was too much. Even a 10 percent increase—about $120—was voted down.”
His passion for helping others doesn’t stop there. As a school trustee, he saw a problem with youth unemployment and the need for trades workers. Instead of waiting for someone else to fix it, he helped launch a new construction training program at Westview Secondary School. “Now, 120 students each semester are getting hands-on experience,” he said. “We’re helping young people find careers and filling a big need in the trades.”
I asked Matias what he thought the current federal government had missed. His answer came quickly: “Affordability. It’s harder to get ahead. People are working, but their paycheques aren’t going as far. We brought in newcomers and international students but didn’t plan for housing or support.”
Matias de Dovitiis wants to bring common-sense ideas to Ottawa—ideas shaped by living and working in the very neighbourhood he hopes to represent. “I know this community. I live here. I’ve worked hard to make life better, and I’ll keep doing that in Ottawa if I’m given the chance.”