Photo by Michael Browning on Unsplash.
Hub Staff
Attainable housing has been frequenting the agenda at Saugeen Shores council meetings for some time now. A public labour shortage discussion held in March 2019 identified the struggle local businesses face as a result of a lack of attainable housing in the region. This meeting brought the issue of attainable housing to the forefront and the Saugeen Shores Attainable Task Force was later assembled with a mandate to “increase the supply of attainable housing throughout our community".
The first meeting of the Attainable Task Force took place in May of 2020 and consisted of Chair and Vice-Deputy Mayor Mike Myatt, members Mini Jacques, Brian Longmire, John Van Bastelaar, Cleo DeCoppel, Steve Dennison, David Baker, John McLachlan (representing Habitat for Humanity), Councillor Cheryl Grace, Alternate Council member John Rich, staff resources Jay Pausner, Sarah Wilson and Director, Human Services, County of Bruce Christine MacDonald. The team has since researched many strategies of municipalities across Canada and prepared a public survey to collect data on the needs, both current and future, in the Saugeen Shores community.
In a September 17 online public meeting, members of the task force reviewed their progress, answered questions from residents and launched their survey. Radio host Brian Longmire of 98 the Beach and Executive Vice-President, Corporate Affairs & Operational Services James Scongack of Bruce Power acted as co-moderators for the event that had more than 200 listeners tune in.
Scongack wasted no time in reminding listeners that the issue of attainable housing affects the entire community, not just those currently struggling to find a home. “This is an issue that should concern and be an area of focus for everyone in the community,” he said. “We still have far too many people who don’t have access to housing and if we’re going to continue to grow as a community, be successful as a community, be inclusive as a community, and really look to the many things that we want to achieve together as a community, this is an item that we’re going to have to really focus on together, unite on together and make some progress on."
Scongack acknowledged how the current pandemic has only amplified the issue and said he believes that the attraction to rural areas will continue post COVID. “This is a challenge that is only going to get more significant, but I actually see it as an opportunity,” he said.
Task Force Chair Mike Myatt revealed some of the numbers that contribute to the situation at hand. The average house price in Saugeen Shores over the last three months has risen to $501,000. One, two or three bedroom apartments rent for $1,200 to $2,000 a month. Of the 572 applicants registered on the Bruce County community housing registry waitlist, 300 come from Saugeen Shores, which Myatt claimed was an alarming number.
The Vice Deputy Mayor touched on the importance of attainable housing from a business perspective. “Having attainable and affordable housing for all in our community needs to be a high priority in our community,” stated Myatt. “When workers can live in town, businesses find it easier to hire and retain employees," he added.
The provincial definition of affordable housing is a rent that does not exceed 30 percent of household income, explained Myatt, adding that Saugeen Shores is not meeting this goal of affordability for lower to moderate incomes.
“As Chair of the Attainable Housing Task Force, I’m confident that sooner or later, and hopefully sooner, our Mayor and Council will be able to partner with some investors, Bruce County and our community at large to address our housing situation and make housing more attainable for all,” said Myatt. “This evening’s launch starts the process... with information gathering and together I really do believe we can make good things happen when it comes to affordable and attainable housing."
Councillor Grace provided some insight into the timeline and action plan of the Task Force. Grace noted that this fall will be dedicated to collecting data from residents, businesses and key stakeholders. The aim will be to have a final report and recommendations to present to Council in December, 2020. When describing their investigations into other municipalities, Grace identified the importance of public-private partnerships. “These partnership opportunities may take, and will take I’m sure, the form of joint initiatives with the County as well as providing support for the developers who are building affordable options like tiny homes,” said Grace.
Grace spoke to their efforts of generating economic support for affordable housing initiatives through the 2018 financial incentive programs included in the Strategic Plan and Community Improvement Plan. The more recent 2020 Community Incentives Program for Affordable Housing was approved at the August 10 Council meeting. “This particular initiative will provide $150,000 of funding for 2020 to assist developers in building affordable housing."
Councillor Grace took a closer look at the contributing factors to the inflated housing and rental prices in Saugeen Shores. The lucrative market of short term renting during the summer months creates a scarcity of longterm rentals, stated Grace. Saugeen Shores is also an attractive destination for seasonal residents and retirees and now during COVID, urban residents are seeking out rural housing options, she explained, noting that in addition, median median household income in this region is high, over $105,000, which is also conducive to higher housing costs.
Longmire elaborated on the effect tourism has on rental prices in Saugeen Shores. “Rental pricing is market driven and the tourists do drive that,” said Longmire. “And you really can’t blame someone who owns a cottage or owns apartments for trying to earn the maximum that they can from their often very sizeable investment." Longmire commented on his personal experience attempting to find rentals for his own children and the importance of having the option of attainable housing to keep his family in the area.
Multiple questions from listeners related to the tiny home option, a topic that the Vice Deputy Mayor was eager to address. Myatt, who has extensively researched tiny homes, said that a tiny home could potentially be $200,000 to $250,000. “It’s something that I really would like to pursue,” admitted Myatt, who plans to tour a nearby tiny home development.
Task Force member Mini Jacques responded to a resident who questioned why someone who lives in Saugeen Shores and does not have a problem meeting housing prices should be concerned about attainable housing.
Jacques shared an explanation previously presented by Dennison. “For a housing market to function, it needs to have sellers and buyers all along the bell curve to stay healthy and to be able to move up and down the housing curve based on their need and budget. If there’s only a top half of the curve, eventually market and sales will suffer. That will affect many homeowners. You also want a varied group of people in your community to sustain a vibrant community and also be able to offer services that people want to have for the community where they chose to live," said Jacques.
“Even if you’re not looking for attainable housing, the ripple effect that this will have for all residents of all ages and all incomes is dramatic,” added Jacques.
Jay Pausner, Supervisor, Development Services, Town of Saugeen Shores urged listeners to fill out the survey and stressed it’s not just for existing residents, but also for people who are striving to live here. Jacques pointed out that 42 percent of individuals who work in Saugeen Shores don’t live in Saugeen Shores. According to Pausner the survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and is available online through saugeenshores.ca/attainablehousing or in paper form from the following local businesses:
In Southampton, the survey is available at Southampton Foodland, Re/Max Saugeen Team, Offshore Bakery (in a plastic container outside on bench), South Stables Coffee House.
In Port Elgin, 98 The Beach, Saugeen Shores Chamber of Commerce, Rowland’s Independent, Re/Max Land Exchange, Sutton-Huron Shore Realty, The Patio.
“Having over 200 residents chime in to listen in and participate in this meeting this evening is just really a testament to the interest and concern that people have in our community about housing,” concluded Myatt. “We’re going to work hard over the next few months to come up with some solid recommendations to our Mayor and members of council."
Myatt indicated the need to involve the public as much as possible in their discussions moving forward. A number of community round table meetings have been planned for November. “We’re going to give the public lots of opportunity to have input into our housing recommendations,” said Myatt.
