Kawartha Lakes adopts a housing pledge strategy to help achieve a provincial target

DAN CEARNS The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: The City of Kawartha Lakes has taken the next step towards supporting a housing pledge they made to the provincial government.

At a meeting on Tuesday, November 21st, CAO Ron Taylor presented to councillors a draft Municipal Housing Pledge Strategy. This strategy follows a decision made by Council to accept a housing target of 6,500 new units by 2031. This decision allowed Kawartha Lakes Council to adopt 'Strong Mayor' powers and gives the City an opportunity to receive funding from the Ontario government's Building Faster Fund.

"We're now detailing or establishing our specific targets. So, not only do we have a housing target for 2031, but also established annual targets to commit to, starting this year," Mr. Taylor explained.

The City has a target of 477 units by the end of this year, 542 units in 2024 and 650 units in 2025. Currently, Kawartha Lakes has achieved 79 percent of its 2023 housing target.

The CAO also noted the City currently has over 17,000 units "in active application" until 2051.

"Some of the forecasts we were making with our growth strategy we need to accelerate. So, we need to rapidly speed up in order to be responsive, but also to be ready for this overall growth and development."

Mr. Taylor stated only "a fraction" of those 17,000 units had been scheduled for "the immediate term."

"Prioritizing becomes really important," he stressed.

In regards to the Building Faster Fund, Mr. Taylor said the City has yet "to see the details of that fund."

The pledge strategy integrates plans such as the Master Transportation Plan, water and wastewater servicing plan, and growth management strategy, among others.

Mr. Taylor explained there is an affordable housing component to this strategy, noting the City will be focused on "geared to income" housing.

Ward 1 Councillor Emmett Yeo was concerned about how the provincial municipal and housing ministry is in a state of flux. "How can we finalize this and send it to the ministry when they're obviously making it up as they go," he said.

Mr. Taylor responded, stating the pledge "is a local solution" and it "is informed by current, local positions by current plans [which] are there."

Ward 4 Councillor Dan Joyce stressed he wanted this plan to help the City advocate the provincial government for more investment in primary care.

Some of the next steps included in the plan are to complete at least 80 percent of the 2023 housing target in order to be eligible for funding, review the Building Faster Fund, review and implement the processes to allow for 'Strong Mayor powers' and looking at water and wastewater expansions where necessary.

This pledge strategy was later adopted by Council.

At a council meeting on Tuesday, August 29th, Mayor Doug Elmslie explained what 'strong mayor' powers are.

"Strong mayor powers and duties include choosing to appoint the municipality's Chief Administrative Officer, hiring certain municipal department heads and establishing and reorganizing departments, creating committees of council, assigning their functions and appointing the chairs and vice chairs, proposing the municipal budget which would be subject to council amendments, vetoing certain bylaws if the head of council is of the opinion that all or part of the bylaw could potentially interfere with a provincial priority, [and] bringing forward matters for council consideration if the head of council is of the opinion that considering the manner could advance a provincial priority."