OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following is a letter in regard to the housing crisis.
It is no secret that housing is becoming an existential crisis not just in Orillia, but all of Canada.
Over the last few weeks, we have seen reports and articles of those that have lost so much hope in the system, that they are now seeking M.A.I.D. as a viable option as the system has failed them and all hope seems lost.
While I support an individual’s freedom to seek MAID based on their own set of circumstances, it is beyond reprehensible that we have elected leaders that care so little as to not provide any hope in such dire circumstances.
I ran for city council during the recent municipal election, for no other reason than to bring awareness to this issue. During that campaign, I worked with several community stakeholders to devise a plan to build towards solving this crisis.
The problem with everything in politics is the notion that no solution will ever appease everyone. Some want to build more skyscrapers. But the NIMBY’s in the city don’t want Orillia being turned into Toronto and having their views obstructed.
And truly the problem with skyscrapers is that they are privately owned and operated and while they may have affordable housing as an option in order to receive certain leeway’s, contracts and bursaries, inevitably financial incentives will weigh out and a for-profit model will take hold.
Current low-income high rises in Orillia, which have received such grants are currently retailing for $2,500 a month, which by no standard can be seen as low-income housing.
Others suggest sprawl, but this is itself not a viable option as the sprawl model not only infringes on neighbouring municipalities, but also damages our delicate and fragile ecosystems, which is not sustainable for our future.
During the last election, I sat with then mayoral candidate Don McIsaac and council candidate Janet-Lynne Durnford at an event held by the Orillia District Chamber of Commerce. The goal of this event was for every table to present an idea with which they believe should be the focus of the next city council, then allow the rest of the room to vote on which idea would be the most important.
As voted by the room that evening, the idea I presented alongside McIsaac was voted by an overwhelming majority as the one that council should pursue most urgently.
So, the solution we suggested was to work on building prefabricated micro-housing. An example of which, can be seen online through Boxabl.com, although any developer can build these.
The average cost of an acre of land in the City of Orillia is currently retailing for approximately $700,000. Some acres have one home on it, some acres have multiple units on it.
The proposal, we suggested, would have been to sectionalize said acres to allow between 30-50 units to be built. The cost to build said units could range between $30-50K. If 30 units were to be built on a single acre, then feasibly even at a high end price, each of these units could be built and sold for $100K.
Now some may point out that most people affected by homelessness can’t afford to purchase even with a reduced cost. I agree. What this model does do though is allow those in their 20’s to be able to enter the housing market to build equity.
Seniors looking to downgrade to continue with their independence and mid-singles (ie. middle-aged divorcees and widows) a chance to start over. And what this does more than anything, is allow the true capitalist model of supply vs. demand to actually take hold.
The City of Orillia currently has enough available acreage to build between 1,000 to 3,000 of these prefabricated units all across the city right now. With that many people exiting the rental market and entering the housing market, the laws of supply vs. demand would require current landlords to lower their rental costs exponentially.
While this doesn’t entirely solve the housing crisis, it can go a long way in building security for our community for the future.
What does the city need to do itself? I have been asked this question, because the city themselves don’t want to be developers or landlords. They are simply to set the rules.
Well, the city can start by altering their municipal plan to include this. Wherein developers looking to build within the city can either have full development charges in order to build waterfront skyscrapers, or could have development charges significantly lowered or eliminated if they build according to the municipal plan. Further the city can build the requisite infrastructure for said developments, such as plumbing and electricity. And they can change zoning bylaws to make such developments easier for potential developers.
I have spoken with Mayor McIsaac and councilors Durnford and Jay Fallis about this proposal and I do believe they have the community's best interest at heart over this matter and I certainly hope they can look at viable solutions to save lives before focusing on the multitude of lesser important issues facing the city.
We need decisive action from our council and the ability to hold them accountable when they don’t act in our best interest.
Life is full of opportunities and not second chances. I hope they can take this opportunity to make a statement about the issues that matter most to Orillia and not just do what is politically expedient for their own careers.
Matt Lund
Ramara
