Politics and Real Estate

by Shawn Lackie

For the last few years, we have heard non-stop about the need for affordable housing. And with good reason. Developers roll into town and put forward a development plan for the local zoning people to approve. Almost all of them include some form of affordable housing.

They get approval and start their build. But a funny thing happens between the planning stage and the actual implementation. All of a sudden, those affordable townhouses disappear and up pops more big homes like Balsam Street between Rosa and Old Simcoe.

When that was first announced, there was a provision in there for townhomes and like-minded affordable units. Where did they go? There are so many questions that have been asked of the local politburo and so few answers provided. Instead, we are being shown the latest shining star on the planning sheet. Now including an eight-story building for apartments.

None of any of this addresses the current needs of the local town currently. Our politicians need to stay in touch, listen to what their constituents are saying and act accordingly. That seems to be beyond their grasp.

Need proof? The Fairgrounds Fiasco. The “Seniors” complex proposal north of town. None of this is in keeping with what the denizens of Scugog really want. This is a crazy admission, and I take ownership of it. I have been purposely driving around the latest roads that have been paved to get a feel of what zooming along a nice, evenly paved surface feels like without fearing my shocks, springs and undercarriage will burst at any minute. That has been present here for years. Interesting that all of a sudden re-topping has become a priority in 2026. Oh, wait......it’s an election year. Ahhhh yes, of course, Yoda. But I digress.

Back to the original programming. Growth in Scugog needs to be carefully monitored and nurtured, like a garden. You can’t have crazy growth spurts without consequences. Need proof? Been to Brooklin lately? Or maybe take a trip to Barrie. All I can say is WOW.

I had relatives there, and it used to foster a population of around 26,000. Then Toronto commuters found it, and craziness broke loose. Literally, it grew at a rate that couldn’t support the growth. Infrastructures crumbled. Hospitals couldn’t keep up. And most of the “New” residents were used to “right now,” so they had trouble adapting. The city became a bedroom community for Toronto and lost its identity. The same thing happened 12 miles south of us in Brooklin. Schools and stores couldn’t keep up with the massive influx of new bodies. And now they are playing catch-up. That takes years to cure and in many cases never does.

So in Scugog, please have one eye on the future and one eye on the past. If we don’t learn from our predecessors, then we are doomed to make the same mistakes. Except the stakes are much higher these days. Checked your tax bill lately? It’s high time we started measuring what our returns are for what we pay out. Things should get very interesting come October. Please exercise your right to vote. You DO have a voice. Feel free to check out this story and more on my blog site at: https://slackie14.wixsite.com/buy-sell-and-more.