Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Housing was a major topic of discussion during Greater Napanee council’s final meeting of the year, which was held Dec. 15 at the Selby Community Hall.
Connor Dorey, manager of housing for the County of Lennox and Addington, got the conversation started with a deputation highlighting the local housing situation.
“It’s often referred that we are in a housing crisis, and it is true,” said Dorey. “We are in a housing crisis, nationally, provincially and locally. A housing crisis that is going to be emphasized more so by the ongoing pandemic, and a housing crisis that is impacted by different factors which include increased demands, lack of supply, the affordability issue and transportation. The list that impacts what the housing crisis is is long and complex and is growing.”
Prince Edward-Lennox and Addington Social Services owns 413 rent-geared-to-income units, 141 households supported through rent supplement agreements with private landlords and 233 units managed by six non-profit housing providers who are funded by PELASS. There are currently over 700 households on the PELASS Housing Centralized Waitlist.
“In 2016, Statistics Canada reported that 52 per cent of tenant households in Greater Napanee are spending more than 30 per cent of their income on shelter costs, deeming their living arrangement as unaffordable,” added Dorey.
Councillor Dave Pinnell Jr., who just completed a term as president of the Kingston Area Real Estate Association, noted just how big the gap between supply and demand in the region was over the last year.
“The average price of homes sold in November 2020 was a record $512, 832,” said Pinnell Jr. “That was a rise of 18.6 per cent in price over November of 2019. However with that being said, the year to date average price was $461,383, which would have been January 2020 to November.”
“If no inventory came on the market right now and the sales remained the same, we would only have 1.2 months of inventory out there,” he added, noting the supply and demand was a factor in the ongoing housing crisis.
“I just wish that in every single subdivision or development that we see here, or apartments…I wish that each and every one of them would apply for funding that would give us affordable housing,” said mayor Marg Isbester. “Affordable housing being 20 per cent below the going rate guaranteed for up to a 20 year span in a building.”
Council voted to receive the PELASS housing report.
Keeping with the housing theme, in a separate agenda item council voted to receive a report from town staff regarding the town-owned East Ward Parks Lot as a potential site for an affordable housing project in partnership with L&A County. Any decision on removing the property from the town’s surplus land list will wait until after a report issued by KPMG, the auditing firm that is investigating land sales conducted by the town over the last decade. That report is expected to be released in mid-January. The 16-acre site is accessible from Newburgh Road, Camden Road and Crouse Street. The north side of the site is bordered by the Cataraqui Trail and extends from Hwy 401 to Dairy Avenue.
-Council voted to send letters of support to Ontario’s Minister of Education, as well as local federal and provincial politicians, in support of Martin’s Bus Services president Sean Payne’s concerns over Tri-Board Student Transportation Services’ decision to move to a Request for Proposal process for the 2021-22 school-busing contract. Local bus-operators in the Tri-Board Transportation region say the process allows bigger bus companies from outside the region to bid on local bus routes, which would force smaller local bus companies out of business.
“Why (would) someone would want to come and try and set up a business like that when we’re so well established with certain ones that know the kids names?” said Isbester. “I know that it’s tough and there has to be competition, I don’t think it’s pricing. I also think these companies don’t just supply school transportation. They’re very much in transportation for a lot of other uses in our area. If we lose them, our transportation is bad enough as it is without having to lose all those companies. For many people too it’s a second income.”
Councillor Ellen Johnson agreed.
“They’re not looking for a free ride or to extend a contract without negotiation,” said Johnson. “They’re just looking for an opportunity to negotiate and I think we need to support that.”