THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN HOUSING

It’s safe to say that discussing the role of governments in housing is like wandering into shark-infested waters. All three levels of government (Federal. Provincial, Municipal) have their own agendas, and what they say, and what they do are many times completely at odds.

A great example of this was the public meeting on September 16 for the proposed 600-unit development at the north end of Port. There were at least 400 concerned citizens wanting to hear what the local governing body and promoters of the project had to say about this proposal. Twice the crowd had to be scolded by the mayor for being over-zealous in their responses to the guest speakers. After threatening to shut the meeting down, the crowd was more orderly. Guess they prefer head-nodding zombies for the meetings. Unless it’s an election year. Entirely different story there.

Some of the responses from local governance were at times odd and other times just wacky. “It’s only a 2 KM stroll to town from the proposed site. Or bike ride.” Really? None of any of this is new. Here’s a solid question. What’s going on with the Kings Landing site just south of Canadian Tire? Maybe ask your local councillor what’s up with THAT site. It’s been in development for years.

Back in the late 80s a developer was going to build a massive condo project on the land formerly occupied by Conway Gardens (It’s now where Vos Independent is). They had a site development plan in place and sold a few units. Then the big cash crunch came and the whole project went south. Same with a project that was being floated where Gord Lewis once had his garage at the corner of Water and Casimir Streets. That one also bit the dust when the crunch came. The housing dip hit in 1988 and lasted almost a full 10 years before things got back on track. Many potential projects were scuttled.

In both of these potential cases, developers and local tax collectors/politicos were licking their chops at the thought of all that cash infusion. Just think of how many speed limit signs could be purchased with all that dough. Sounds like 2024. Some things old really ARE new again.