Strait of Canso area seeks answers to affordable housing woes

Housing gaps in southeastern Cape Breton are the focus of a new not-for-profit organization established by a local chamber of commerce and two municipal governments in the Strait of Canso area. 

The AtHome Housing Association was unveiled at a Housing Matters Forum in Louisdale, Richmond County, on Wednesday morning. The association is a joint effort of the Strait Area Chamber of Commerce, which co-hosted the forum, Richmond County and the Town of Port Hawkesbury. 

The chamber's executive director, Tanya Felix, said she was "over the moon" to see the launch of a project that fully brings the Strait-area business community on board in the search for housing expansion in the region.

"In terms of recruiting and even attracting and retaining people to the area, housing has risen as a top priority for employers in our area," Felix said after Wednesday's event. 

"If we want to grow, we have to address housing."

The association, which filed for incorporation with the province's Registry of Joint Stock Companies on Wednesday, was originally designed with Port Hawkesbury in mind but expanded to include Richmond County over the past year. 

'There's a lot of heart'

Before learning about the AtHome organization, the roughly 60 people at the forum heard from panellists who recalled affordable housing campaigns and concerns in communities such as Halifax, Sydney, Cheticamp, Guysborough and Antigonish.

Erika Shea, the president and CEO of Sydney's New Dawn Enterprises, praised municipal officials in Port Hawkesbury and Richmond County for "not letting the government off the hook" on current and future building projects.

Bryanna Zwicker, the program and membership co-ordinator for the Nova Scotia Non-Profit Housing Association, said the Strait area has been a leader in its push for expanded housing options. 

"There's a lot of heart, and I find the rural areas — especially in this area — collaborate at a deeper level that you don't necessarily see in HRM or in urban settings," Zwicker said. 

"I'm always impressed with this area, and the collaboration where we have elected staff, government staff, private developers and community members coming together. And the engagement in this room — you can feel the buzz, people are engaged, and there's a lot of energy in here." 

New MP to take Strait issues to Ottawa

Liberal MP Jaime Battiste, the final speaker at Wednesday's event, got his first close-up look at the Strait's housing drive since he became the area's federal representative in the new riding of Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish. 

Referencing his previous six years as MP for the former Sydney-Victoria riding, Battiste noted "with rural [housing requests], it is a bit more challenging." But he said his experiences with his previous constituents can be transferred to the new riding.

"You look and see what Membertou has done, they've put up entire neighbourhoods, not just houses," Battiste said. "So it's all about working and creating and collaborating and promoting our needs as a community."

Battiste pledged to bring the area's housing concerns to Gregor Robertson, the newly appointed federal minister of housing and infrastructure, in the coming days.