It's kinda ridiculous empty homes outnumber the homeless. I mean we wouldn't have to power them or anything, just a shelter would probably drastically reduce mortality of the homeless.
The current housing system is ridiculous.
The thing that really drives it here is that Canada has no restrictions on foreigners owning land, and what often happens is that property in various cities--especially Vancouver--gets advertised and often sold in China before it gets advertised domestically. Then the lots and houses stand empty, property values skyrocket*, and governments do fuck all about it because they're raking in tax money.
*And this of course affects property taxes, so sometimes people end up being literally unable to afford to live in the house where they've lived their entire lives, simply because they can't pay the property taxes.
