Saying the region needs 5,500 homes in the next six years, Bay of Quinte MP Ryan Williams says innovative ideas are crucial to solving the housing crisis.
Williams and Conservative Housing Critic Scott Aitchison held several meetings with local stakeholders Monday including the Quinte Home Builders Association as well as Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis, Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison, Prince Edward County Mayor Steve Ferguson and Hastings County Warden Bob Mullin.
Bay of Quinte MPP and Conservative housing critic, Parry Sound-Muskoka MP Scott Aitchison met with Prince Edward County Mayor Steve Ferguson, Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis, Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison and Hastings County Warden Bob Mullin about housing challenges in the region, August 28, 2023. (Photo: submitted)
Williams says he wanted to show Aitchison some of the housing challenges the Quinte region faces but also some of the solutions being proposed.
“Including, one of my favourites is Phil Spry and Bob Cottrell with All Together Housing discussing how their model has worked to build geared-to-income and affordable rent for those in the region. We just need a hundred more of Phil Sprys and Bob Cottrells.”
Williams says he’s had conversations with Moshe Yitzhack of All Season Fencing about ways to build homes for $150,000 which can then be rented at affordable rates.
Quinte News reached out to Mr. Yitzhack for more information about his plan but have not received a response at the time of this publishing.
Williams says affordable housing has to be affordable to build.
“If we’re not building housing that costs less we can’t offer rents that are less. And so I’ve crossed a lot of different business people that are doing some great different solutions on how can we get that house cost down so that when people are trying to buy or to rent, they’re able to get it for an affordable price.”
Williams says housing builds really haven’t increased over the last decade.
“We’re still roughly building only 600 units of homes a year. In fact we’ve dropped housing by 20 per cent this year as the interest rates have gone up and the market’s kind of gone down. So we’re not actually building as many homes this year as we did last year.”
