For every unit of affordable housing being created in Ontario, seven are being lost.
That was one of many statistics and stories provided during Tuesday afternoon’s strategic initiatives standing committee as part of an update from Collingwood’s Affordable Housing Task Force. Marg Scheben-Edey, a member of the task force, provided an update on the work of the group ahead of their final presentation and report to council, which is slated to occur in the Fall of 2021.
“We have a firm belief that any decision-making should be data-driven, but the data has never been compiled. That data is substantive and meaningful,” said Scheben-Edey, noting their third-party planner had submitted a first draft of the data to the task force while they wait on some remaining key information from StatsCan.
“It’s kind of shocking to see all the numbers there in black and white,” she said.
The Affordable Housing Task Force was formed earlier this year and has been tasked with informing council on a variety of matters relating to affordable housing, including making recommendations on how to deal with town-owned lands on Birch Street, make recommendations on local planning policies, as well as grant/funding opportunities for affordable housing development.
In June, the task force came before council to ask for $25,000 to retain an independent third-party planner to assist with data collection and analysis. The request was granted by council at that time.
Scheben-Edey outlined the plethora of issues that are contributing to the affordable housing crisis locally, including real estate market conditions where landlords are selling units, vacancy de-control (rents raised significantly when a new tenant enters into a rental agreement), demolitions, reno-victions and condominium conversions.
“It’s really disconcerting when it’s so hard to create (affordable units) in the first place,” she said. “Erosion is getting away from us and is certainly contributing to the crisis we have before us.”
Collingwood is also a member of a regional task force to address affordable housing in South Georgian Bay as a whole. As part of that work, a public survey was completed to pin down affordability issues through a regional lens.
Four-hundred-and-four people responded to that survey, 74 per cent of whom identified they live in Collingwood.
More than 60 per cent of respondents said they were employed full-time.
“When we asked people what their options were if they can’t find affordable housing soon, the number one response was to move out of the area,” she said. “We also heard a lot of people say that jobs do not pay enough to equate to the cost of living in the area.”
One of the questions asked if the respondents were receiving any type of government assistance and what type they were receiving. The majority indicated they were receiving CPP or OAS.
“That reflects the challenges the seniors in our community are having in maintaining their housing,” she said.
Scheben-Edey shared stories the task force received through the survey that spoke to the desperation some were feeling about their housing situations.
“We asked what they would do if they can’t find housing. ‘If I can’t find housing, and I’m being honest with you, suicide has been the most available option for me. I’ve had to reach out for help in despair a number of times,’” she relayed from one survey participant.
She spoke about another participant who said they would have to stay where they were, but they didn’t have heat or working sewer services where they were living.
A senior relayed that a GIC that was paying their bills left to them by their husband after his passing would run out by March, and they weren’t sure what they were going to do after that.
Another participant said they were a full-time municipal employee but could not afford a place to buy or rent in Collingwood proper.
“It’s pushing us locals out who are desperately trying to stay,” they wrote.
Coun. Mariane McLeod asked whether survey respondents who identified they were planning to leave the area had indicated where they intended to go, as she understood the issue is one being faced on a national level.
“Collingwood is one of the top five most expensive communities in which to own or rent in Ontario, so 95 per cent of the communities around us are less expensive,” said Scheben-Edey. “We heard from a number of residents that even though rent was a little more expensive in Toronto, the wages are so much higher that they would be ahead by moving to a larger city centre.”
Scheben-Edey said some also indicated they would be moving out of the province, primarily to the Maritimes, or to more remote communities up north.
“If we have a crisis today, we have a catastrophe tomorrow,” she said.
Mayor Brian Saunderson said the statistics provided as part of the update were “sobering,” and acknowledged a lot of work needed to be done in the area.
A final report to council on the issue, which will include recommendations on how to deal with the issue in Collingwood, is scheduled to be delivered in October/November 2021.
