The committee continued its study of motion M-16, on using underused and surplus federal lands and buildings to serve veterans and communities, hearing from Department of Veterans Affairs officials Mitch Freeman and Nathalie Pham, followed by Debbie Lowther of Veterans Emergency Transition Services and Brad Field of the Homes For Heroes Foundation.
Mitch Freeman, acting assistant deputy minister at Veterans Affairs, described the department's mandate and service network of 38 offices, 28 transition centres and over 700 points of service, noting roughly 7,800 members release annually and nearly one in five veterans report transition difficulties. He said housing is rarely only a housing issue, cited collaboration with Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada on the veteran homelessness program, and estimated 1,700 to 1,800 veterans experience homelessness yearly, with 233 housed through that program. He repeatedly said questions on the program's unused $3 million and on surplus property decisions belonged to HICC or Public Services and Procurement Canada, since Veterans Affairs owns no real property, though he offered to share departmental expertise and data with other departments. He said veterans' benefits are quasi-statutory and demand-driven, mentioned budget 2025 funding of $184.9 million for disability processing, and said he was not personally aware of consultations on St. Luke's Chapel at Gagetown or of the reasons five women veterans council members left.
Nathalie Pham, director general of field operations, said frontline staff link veterans to community, provincial and territorial resources, and that building trust with homeless veterans can take months or years. She noted many homeless veterans couch-surf, making early intervention critical, and said outcomes are measured against seven domains of well-being with no one-size-fits-all approach. She agreed to share the department's plan for supporting vulnerable veterans with the committee.
Debbie Lowther, CEO of VETS Canada, presented her organization's vision for the Amherst armoury: roughly 18 to 20 one-bedroom units, a staffed office with wraparound supports, retention of the Nova Scotia Highlanders Regimental Museum, and possibly a social enterprise garage. She said VETS Canada supports 400 to 600 veterans yearly, about 80 per cent at risk of homelessness and 20 per cent actually homeless, with most referrals from Veterans Affairs, and that the $3 million in unallocated program funding could have been used for rent, utility and food assistance. She called the claim that no veterans in need could be found implausible, said veterans' homelessness is undercounted because they avoid shelters, and urged faster decisions and less onerous reporting.
Brad Field, president of the Homes For Heroes Foundation, recommended a deliberate, repeatable federal veteran community asset strategy to identify surplus properties and match them with qualified veteran-serving operators, arguing housing is the platform, community the catalyst and support what makes transition sustainable. He said his organization has applied for over 52 pieces of land without success, often because its low-density village model loses to higher-density proposals, and described funding delays after CMHC files moved to Build Canada Homes. He agreed with Lowther that the 1,700 figure is too low, citing a 2023 study estimating 10,000 and reporting over 500 homeless veterans in Winnipeg alone, and said the sense of urgency is lacking. He differed from Lowther on rural settings, saying Homes For Heroes leans urban because veterans often lack vehicles and need transit, doctors and groceries nearby.
Procedural matters were brief: Alana Hirtle asked to add a witness to the list, and members agreed.
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