Meaford Council Chambers. Photo by Claire McCormack
Meaford council plans to consider a dedicated one per cent tax levy increase for affordable housing during its 2023 budget deliberations.
A motion proposed by Coun. Harley Greenfield was adopted by council at its June 13 meeting, directing staff to bring back a report before 2023 budget deliberations of an additional one per cent increase which would go to the municipal operating budget for affordable housing.
The report would also look at how these funds could be used and consider all possible municipal funding sources, including whether existing annual increases to roads, bridges and facilities could be reduced in order to offset the budget increase dedicated to affordable housing.
The motion says as affordable housing is becoming a more prevalent issue not just in the municipality but across Canada, the federal and provincial government have failed to contribute the adequate funds for affordable housing projects.
The motion adds the construction industry over the past decade, have built fewer attainable housing projects despite the increased demand.
“Council wishes to explore the ways in which the municipality can have a positive impact on the availability of affordable housing in the community,” the motion says.
The motion says council recognizes the need for funding to be able to take steps towards affordable housing.
Greenfield says the municipality should not jump into affordable housing efforts by themselves and should seek out opportunities to partner with other organizations and see who could get involved.
“We talk so often about our community well being program, well what could be more representative of community well being than having a place for people to live,” says Greenfield. “A young person who wants to live here, work here, raise a family here and they can’t because there is no place for them to live, no affordable place for them to live, I think that is sad.”
Greenfield says he is asking for is a discussion to occur at budget time to find a way to allocate funds for affordable housing and to make a financial commitment.
Deputy Mayor Shirley Keaveney applauded Greenfield for bringing forward the motion and says it is similar to something Grey County is looking at.
“The affordable housing committee recommended that the county institute a one per cent budget recommendation going forward to support housing and here we are looking to encourage the next council to do the same because there isn’t anything we can do today but we can certainly move this forward to be part of the 2023 budget discussion,” says Keaveney.
This motion for decision follows another approved motion from Keaveney earlier in the meeting who proposed organizing the municipality’s own Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. The motion requests having staff create a terms of reference for the next municipal council to look at and make a decision when they take office.
“We have probably a less than one per cent vacancy rate, there are just not apartments available and the ones that are, are priced out of reach for someone who is working out of one of our new shops,” says Keaveney. “If I was working there and earning probably not much more than minimum wage, what could I afford to rent? So that is the type of housing that I think is important for us as municipalities to participate in, because if we don’t, who is?”