After a couple of rocky pivots on the carbon tax and involuntary care, BC NDP Leader David Eby landed back on solid footing Thursday with the launch of a new affordable housing program that could serve as a major driver of his re-election bid.

The “affordable housing initiative” unveiled in Vancouver has the potential to be a momentum-builder for the NDP and turn the page on the party’s rough pre-campaign launch over the last week.

It’s a simple enough proposal to explain to voters: You buy a home, but only get a mortgage for 60 per cent of the sales price because the government covers the remaining 40 per cent for 25 years.

“Just imagine what it would look like to build a housing development in your community where people were able to buy in at 60 per cent of market value,” Eby said during a question and answer session at the Union of BC Municipalities in Vancouver.

“And you can see the potential of this initiative. I'm really excited about it. I think it's one of many tools that will help us address housing, and it's one of the key housing initiatives that we'll be campaigning on to keep and to expand if we're returned to government in the fall.”

The program hits a key area for the NDP — the middle class, with an income threshold of $191,910 for a household seeking two........

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