With the housing advisory committee having been disbanded, its former chair says committee members are concerned that the municipality has no alternate plans to support housing initiatives.
City council eliminated the committee as part of an overall review of all municipal boards, commissions and committees, and their effectiveness. Several groups were kept, some were combined and a few were eliminated. The housing advisory committee was shut down since it had not met in more than a year.
Don Mitchell, chair of the housing advisory committee, expressed the committee’s concerns during a presentation at city council’s Dec. 9 regular meeting.
He told council that the city clerk put the situation into context and elaborated more on council’s decision to eliminate the group during its last meeting on Nov. 27. They also heard how council and city administration might use an ad hoc approach to address future housing needs.
While it was not the role of committee members to question the specific decisions council made to eliminate the group, Mitchell noted some members had a long history of involvement on the committee in identifying and supporting projects that addressed the needs and gaps in available housing.
“We were really faced (with) — and the community is faced with — a blank page and question mark regarding this council’s intentions (with) housing initiatives,” he said. “There were important concerns raised in the discussion by committee members. I think your constituents deserve to have more clarity about the intentions and direction of future policy.”
Committee members identified three realities that affect — and have affected — housing in Moose Jaw and that Mitchell asked council to consider in the future.
First, there has been a strong history of support for public and social housing policies and projects in Moose Jaw, Mitchell said. Residents and civic leaders have been on board since 1953, when that city council initiated — with the support of federal funding — the largest post-war public housing initiative in Canada through the construction of 75 housing units for families.
Mitchell can remember the view from his Grade 5 classroom at Empire School of houses being built down Coteau Street. Many of those houses are still there, but he lamented the fact the provincial government recently sold those social housing units for private ownership.
More than 850 social housing units have been built for families, seniors, group homes, health care, and mental health since that time, with a large chunk built between 1960 and 1980.
“I think in reflection on that, residents and civic leaders should be proud of what Moose Jaw has been able to create in civil housing,” Mitchell said. “These projects would not have happened without leadership at the time in various stages of city council.
“Mayor Scoop Lewry was a big proponent at the time (in the late 1950s). We believe that should continue with some form of leadership at this level.”
The second item Mitchell asked council to consider was how many municipalities in Saskatchewan and Canada have active housing strategies to meet the needs of their residents and have councils committed to that planning.
The third item is the fact the federal government has expanded its commitment to define and implement a national housing strategy. This was committed to before the 2019 election, Mitchell said. He pointed out there is growing income equality and high costs with homeownership, which have affected some places more severely and have required a return to federal aid.
Moose Jaw would need an active housing policy structure to access those funds, he added.
Council then discussed two motions that the housing advisory committee submitted, approving one and defeating another.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Dec. 16.
