Sault Ste. Marie exploring housing shortage solutions
The City of Sault Ste. Marie is exploring ways to increase housing supply in the city in an effort to bring down costs.
Staff are studying a pair of ideas put forward by city council.
Sault Ste. Marie city coun. Angela Caputo. March 28/23 (Mike McDonald/CTV Northern Ontario)
One of those ideas is a vacant property tax, which was brought to the table by Coun. Angela Caputo, who sits on the newly formed Affordable Housing Task Force.
Caputo said it was the sight of boarded-up houses that prompted her to bring the idea forward.
"I just wanted to put something forward to try and give a little nudge to the property owners to open these homes up," she said.
"A lot of our residents really need a place to live and affordable housing is definitely one of the most important things that we're discussing right now."
Another idea being looked at is a grant program for non-profit organizations and churches that have underutilized land that could be used for affordable housing.
This model is used by the City of Barrie and Sault city staff are looking into whether this idea can be put into practice in the north.
The 'Affordable Housing Task Force' is preparing a feasibility study for the grant program and the vacant property tax and will report to city council at a later date.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.