The provincial NDP released its new housing plan Wednesday ahead of the upcoming byelection in the district of Waterford Valley.

Leader Jim Dinn was joined by the party’s candidate, Nicole Boland, for the announcement at their byelection headquarters on Brookfield Road.

The plan includes a housing-first policy in direct response to a crisis that they say the provincial Liberals continue to downplay.

It calls for a “rapid-response” partnership to streamline the process for homeless people in crisis, expansion of the first-time homebuyer program, and changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to eliminate fees to hold a unit while waiting for approval.

The NDP are also calling for a limit on rent increases, based on inflation and taxes, and an end to evictions without cause.

Boland, a frontline social worker originally from Shea Heights, says the disconnect is real.

“It is really frustrating, and you kind of go back and forth, right? You’re lying in bed at night thinking I did everything I could today to try to get someone out of a tent, but that didn’t work — they’re still in a tent,” she said.

“So really sad, but on the flip side of that you get really angry when the Liberal government refuses to say housing is a human right. And we’re there, right on the ground at tent city, and saying what are you talking about? The disconnect becomes very obvious.”

Boland is up against Jamie Korab for the Liberals and Jesse Wilkins for the PCs in the August 22nd byelection.

The advance poll is today from 8 a.m.-8 p.m..

Today is also the deadline to apply for special ballot and the last day to be added to the voters list.