Plans to increase affordable housing in Sudbury
Housing affordability continues to be a big issue across Ontario, including here in the north. And it was one of the things on the agenda of a special summit recently held involving the province's big-city mayors.
From single-family dwellings to apartments, everyone involved agrees what it comes down to is Ontario needs more places for people to live.
The province's housing minister, Steve Clark, said there is a need for over one million units in the province right now
Steve Clark, Ontario Municipal Affairs and housing minister
"We need the missing middle. We need that purpose-built rental. Yes, we need single family (homes) as well, but we also need that mixture of homes that really reflects local communities," Clark said.
The province is spending $45 million to help municipalities "modernize" and accelerate the process for approving housing applications.
"We know that the approvals process are often stalled by cumbersome, and cause unnecessary, red tape to each level of government. These obstacles to building more homes faster were repeated in our conversations today," Clark said.
Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger participated in the event and said while each municipality has its own set of challenges, he believes the Nickel City is doing ok.
He said his focus remains on a wide spectrum of affordable housing.
"We have 14 one-bedroom units that are being created at Sparks Street. It’s a seniors' housing project, obviously, it would be affordable. We’re also converting 30 two-bedroom units into one-bedroom units and that hopes to also address some of the challenges for homelessness," Bigger said.
He said Sudbury has proven it is supporting housing growth, investment and development in the region.
"We have no development charges on affordable housing that has agreements with the city. We’ve got development charges on major corridors and many areas for multi-unit residential buildings across the city and so we’ve taken a lot of progressive steps already that many other municipalities are considering."
Clark said the housing crisis can't be fixed overnight but meetings among municipal leaders are useful.
A similar event will take place Sunday, however, it will be a round table involving rural, remote and northern communities.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Record-breaking N.B. lottery winner kept winning ticket on dresser for nearly a year
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.