By Hazel Smith,
Bruce Peninsula Press
Municipal council has voted to accept the recommendation of its Attainable Housing Committee to hire consultants SHS Consulting based on the strength of their presentation to the Housing Committee on October 5th. It was one of two consulting pitches. Committee members were impressed by their local knowledge and depth of rural experience as well as the prominence given to “Phase 3” of their work, namely “deliverables” and “implementation”.
While some have expressed concern that the first work of the Attainable Housing Committee was to hire a consultant, the Committee determined this was an essential first step if serious about accessing public funding. The major funder, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), will require the MNBP, or other entity, to carefully demonstrate need and capacity to manage.
Karla Trudgen, Chairperson of the Attainable Housing Committee, recognizes the desire for quick action but urges caution. “It’s not just build something, anything. Supports have to be in place. Who will own it? Who will manage it?” Asked if a small rural community like ours can be competitive in the quest for capital dollars, she says, “This is going to be a challenge but the hope is that the consultants will position us to do so.”
Councillor Golden, council representative on the committee, points out that there are big challenges to overcome to solve the housing issue, long before construction begins. “First we need infrastructure to support attainable housing initiatives such as multi-unit rentals. I have been pushing for an expanded, upgraded water system since elected, not just for housing but for the safety and growth of Tobermory.” She goes on to say, “It won’t be cheap and it won’t be pretty but it has to happen and we are trying.”
While Trudgen urges caution on a rush to bricks and mortar, she says much can be done in the shorter term. She is encouraged by the recent changes in July of 2021 to the County Plan allowing garden suites.
Trudgen was part of the Golden Dawn Redevelopment Task Force, “In my opinion, the Housing Committee needs to look at Golden Dawn’s work. Some really unique ideas are coming forward.”
Ryan Deska, Community Services Manager at the Municipality and staff representative on the committee, says bricks and mortar is a legitimate long-term goal, but the role of the committee is to be creative and look for diverse solutions, mentioning as possible examples incentivizing long-term rentals and recommending favourable planning changes. The work of the consultants, he believes, will position the committee to pursue a range of strategies.
Incentivizing and promoting long-term rentals is the focus of The Meeting Place’s SPARK Housing Initiative.
To address his own housing needs Deska says in jest, that he has “become somewhat of a reluctant homeowner”. While happy to feel securely settled in the community, he says stable long-term rental housing was simply not available.
2015 data shows that less than 40% of homes in the MNBP are owner occupied. With the closure of Happy Hearts long-term trailer site in 2019, which housed ten families, the inventory of affordable housing in the former St Edmunds Township, outside of the seniors’ building, virtually disappeared. Deska and Trudgen believe scarcity prevails throughout the municipality.
The lack of affordable housing has been exacerbated by the rising real estate prices. In this community the go-to strategy for secure housing has long been home ownership. With even the most basic home now hitting the half million dollar mark this strategy is off the table for many.
SHS Consultants reported that on October 4, 2021, local MLS listing inventory consisted of 31 houses and at list price none of these would meet the official threshold for affordability (1/3 of gross income) for a household earning less than $70,000.00 annually.
Councillor Golden has made it clear that the MNBP is not in the business of housing provision. Council will be looking for Bruce County Housing to take ownership of any development, or perhaps the Attainable Housing Committee possibly with other community partners will play a role. The Attainable Housing Committee could look to the Blue Mountains experience for ownership/management alternatives. After the initial needs assessment phase they founded the Town of Blue Mountains Attainable Housing Corporation, a not-for-profit corporation wholly owned by the town, whose goal is to provide housing to “moderate income working individuals and families locked out of the housing market.”
Golden adds, “One of the biggest challenges we face, especially on the north end [of the MNBP] is maintaining a viable year round community that includes a variety of services that make it a desirable place to be a permanent resident.” She says, “I give a little sigh every time I hear about someone moving further south. It’s like death by a thousand cuts.” She attributes the loss of year round residents to “the lack of affordable or desirable housing at both ends of the spectrum, young families and seniors.”
In the coming months the newly hired consultants will undertake extensive engagement with community members and stakeholders via surveys, interviews, and focus groups. The consultants will furnish their final report in March 2022.
Similarly the SPARK Housing Initiative, investigating the scope for transitioning some of the short-term rental inventory into long-term rentals, will host round table conversations with landlords and tenants in November. A feasibility report will be completed by the end of the year.
The Attainable Housing Committee was established by Council in May of 2021. It can expect to work effectively until August 2022 at which time the current council becomes “lame duck”.
After October 2022 it will be up to the newly elected council to determine if the work of the Committee remains relevant and whether the creation of attainable housing is a key priority.
