Photo by B. Shakyaver
Recent communication from Paul Calandra, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, ignited concerns at County Council on Wednesday (April 17) about a looming funding shortfall under Ontario’s National Housing Strategy.
The federal government has signaled intentions to withhold nearly $355 million in funding from Ontario due to inadequacies in meeting affordable housing targets.
Of particular concern to Huron County Council is the impact on local affordable housing projects such as the Sanders Street build in Exeter, which had been allocated $6.4 million under affected programs. Despite receiving an initial milestone draw, uncertainty looms over the project as subsequent funding remains in limbo – as well as funds for Goderich’s Gibbons Street build.
At Huron County Council’s meeting on Wednesday morning, Mayor of Huron East Bernie MacLellan expressed frustration with the funds being held, as he called the move “counter-productive”, undermining housing efforts being made on the local level.
Alongside threatening affordable housing construction, there would also be a direct impact on vulnerable households, with 88 families losing housing allowances amid the funding dispute. Barbara Hall, Director of Social and Property Services assured council that efforts were underway to resolve the issue, but that it was possible that the funding may not return at all.
Mayor of Central Huron Jim Ginn didn’t pull any punches, calling the disagreement a “spat” between the federal and provincial governments about strings attached to federal funding that comes to the province – with families being caught in the middle of the dispute.
In response to the urgency of the situation, County Council agreed to draft a letter urging both federal and provincial authorities to expedite a resolution.
Time will tell if the dispute will be resolved before families lose their homes, or construction on the Sanders and Gibbons Street projects stalls, but one thing is for certain, it’s definitely not in the interest of the tax-payers for the province and federal government to delay their resolution.
Written by: B. Shakyaver