Housing and cost of living top of mind for local municipal leaders in Ontario election

Local municipal leaders say housing, affordability and the well-being of residents top their list of concerns in the Ontario election.

Region of Waterloo chair Karen Redman said she hears about housing the most, equally from local residents, and colleagues and staff around the council table.

Redman said there is more work to be done to address affordability issues for would-be homeowners and renters, as well as the region's affordable housing and shelter systems. 

But, she said, housing as an issue isn't just about bricks and mortar; it's also about staffing and caring for people.

"Continued provincial support, particularly in the health and mental health systems, is vital to ensuring that more of our residents have a safe place to call home," she said.

After two pandemic years, Cambridge Mayor Kathryn McGarry and Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic both said they want the province to consider how it can better support people struggling with mental health and addictions.

"Mental health care is health care," Vrbanovic said in a news release, adding significant investments in mental health and addictions "will be critical."

"The prevention and treatment of mental health and addiction issues needs to be viewed in the same health-focused approach as people who suffer physical injuries, like getting stitches for deep cuts, or treatment and recovery from heart attacks," he said.

'We need a better blend of housing'

North Dumfries Mayor Sue Foxton said a recent presentation to regional council highlighted the region's "missing middle" in housing — how, for example, couples or single parents whose children have grown up and moved away still live in the homes near schools because they can't find an affordable place to live if they downsize.

"We need to build for the empty nesters who will then sell their homes to the families who will utilize the schools and cores," Foxton said.

Wellesley Mayor Joe Nowak agreed his community needs a "better blend of housing" to help seniors to downsize and remain in the township.

"We need more entry-level, affordable accommodations. Incentives like grants or subsidies to not-for-profit contractors that work primarily in rural settings would be a good first step."

Affordability will be 'a great challenge'

Right up there with housing is the cost of living, said Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky.

"Affordability, across the board, is going to be a great challenge for Ontarians as our economy recovers from the pandemic, global supply chain issues, housing costs and homelessness and inflation in general," he said.

"Parties will need to have well-thought-out policies that are fundamentally sound that can stand up in the face of slow progress so that they don't backfire, causing a side-effect issue."

Woolwich Mayor Sandy Shantz said the next provincial government will also need to look at how it can help municipalities facing funding crunches — and don't want to increase property taxes substantially.

"We still struggle to catch up on our infrastructure deficit," she said. "Smaller municipalities do not have the tax base to adequately deal with the infrastructure needs."

GO trains and LRT

Transportation was also top of mind in a region where two-way, all-day GO trains have been long promised, but never a reality.

More GO trains, and expanding the LRT into Cambridge, will "benefit youth and seniors and build community," McGarry said.

Redman said transit projects are "crucial to ensuring that we have livable, sustainable communities, but also that this community remains a key engine in Ontario's economy."

Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie said in a news release that ongoing infrastructure investments in Highways 6 and 7 is one of his city's five priorities for this election.

Province seen as leader in climate change efforts

When it comes to climate change, municipal leaders are also looking to the province for help and guidance.

"Our small rural communities do not have the same deep pockets as the larger urban centers so, unless we receive support for these measures, directed specifically to rural townships, it makes it challenging to reach our zero carbon emission targets," Nowak said.

Jaworksy noted there are "only two more terms of government until we hit 2030, the target year when we expect to have made bold moves to impact climate change."

"Municipalities are on the front lines of addressing climate change, so those levels of government must make significant investments at the local level, so we can all make those bold moves a reality," he said.

Shantz said her township needs financial support to upgrade building infrastructure and pay for staff resources to support community-lead initiatives. Guthrie noted help to remediate brownfield sites would not only benefit the environment, but could mean more land for affordable housing.

Foxton added the future of aggregate, or gravel pits, and all the issues surrounding it, "need to really be looked at and addressed — from the protection of water, the impact of the trucks, dust, to the rehabilitation of the land."

Voters go to the polls on June 2.