Councillors discuss priorities as province asks for local recommendations to tackle housing supply crisis

Affordable housing, clear policies and incentives for more rental properties top of the list for Brant County Councillors and Mayor

By Casandra Turnbull

The Mayor and Councillors held a special meeting of council last week to discuss the housing supply crisis and to make recommendations to the province on measures they feel are important to ensure more responsible growth that aligns with the needs of our community.

In September, the Ministry of Affairs and Housing sent a letter to Mayor David Bailey inviting him to review the province’s Housing Affordability Task Force report where 74 unique recommendations were outlined to help Ontario build at least 1 5 million homes by 2031. If implemented these recommendations will apply to all communities in Ontario, with others more specific to large and urban municipalities, the letter read To date, 23 of the recommendations have been implemented. In the letter, Paul Calandra, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, says “I have asked my ministry to renew its efforts to review and, where possible, implement the Task Force’s remaining recommendations with minimal delay. As part of that review, I am asking for you, as head of council, to prioritize your top five recommendations for future consideration.”

Mayor Bailey said he felt it was important to bring the letter to council for consideration because he didn’t feel comfortable making the selections without a unified voice from council. Councillors were provided with the list of 74 recommendations and were asked to highlight their top five. Councillor John Peirce said he struggled with the list because at the end of the day he wondered how much council’s opinion would matter. “I don’t feel we have any weight with what the province is going to choose. A big part of me feels this is a waste of time,” he stated

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Councillor John Macalpine had similar thoughts saying that he had a hard time agreeing or disagreeing with any of the recommendations because “This government right now makes a decision and if they get a lot of backlash they back down.”

After some discussion, the final recommendations from Brant County Council are as follows:

- Amending the Planning Act, Provincial Policy Statement, and Growth Plans to set “growth in the full spectrum of housing supply” and “intensification within existing built-up areas” of municipalities as the most important residential housing priorities in the mandate and purpose.

- Simplify planning legislation and policy documents.

- Waive development charges on all forms of affordable housing guaranteed to be affordable for 40 years

- Provide provincial and federal loan guarantees for purpose-built rental, affordable rental and affordable ownership projects.

- Develop and legislate a clear, province-wide definition of “affordable housing” to create certainty and predictability

Councillor Steve Howes felt strongly that the word “rental” did not appear enough times in the 74 recommendations. “There needs to be more incentives related to rental property creation – and that might require a relook at the Landlord Tenant Act because no one today wants to be a landlord,” he said. Councillor Robert Chambers also voiced concerns around waiving development fees because municipalities use those fees to providing servicing for future growth.

“My philosophy is the best way to increase housing is to provide servicing and if you have services available developers will build houses,” he said, citing St. George as an example. “If services were available in St. George, housing would be built ”

Council’s recommendations will be forwarded to Minister Calandra for review. All municipalities must have their responses submitted by October 16th .

Paris Lions Club donates $10,000 to Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guide Training Centre

Members of the Paris Lions Club made a trip to Oakville this past week to deliver a $10,000 donation to the Lions Foundation of Canada Sir James Dunn Dog Guide Training Centre. Some of the money donated was proceeds from a local Dog Guide Walk held in Paris in June. Read about that walk, led by Phil Raney, in our May 13 edition of the Paris Independent. Do you want to support the Lions who in turn support the community? Visit them this weekend as they serve some delicious food at Brantwood Farms Fall Festival

OTTAWA, Oct. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) A new era of understanding opportunities to advance Canadian agriculture is dawning as Farm Management Canada in partnership with CentricEngine release new research that sheds light on the crucial roles played by farm women in influencing farm success in Canada. This comprehensive research, titled "Expanding Opportunities for Canadian Agriculture by Understanding the Experience of Farm Women," underscores the indispensable contributions of women and offers a compelling narrative that highlights opportunities to foster a transformative shift in the industry by supporting the unique needs of farm women

“Much has been said about the experience of women in farming, but little has been measured,” says lead researcher Maurice Allin, President of CentricEngine. “This is the first national study to establish a framework for identifying the activities undertaken by farm women and understand their motivations, aspirations and challenges to create a foundation of facts where none existed before.”

Results reveal women are making extraordinary contributions to farming in Canada with a high degree of involvement in virtually every aspect of the operation. Furthermore, there is a tremendous diversity of experiences among farm women.

“We were surprised to learn that rather than demographic or farmographic differences, it is the interactions and relationships with others that most influence the experience of farm women,” says research partner Bob Wilbur, Principal at RW Strategic Perspectives. “Viewing the experience of farm women through a human-centred lens provides a clearer understanding of their situations and creates opportunities for more effective actions – we can now confirm a one-size-fits-all approach will not work ”

Results reveal women are making extraordinary contributions to farming in Canada with a high degree of involvement in virtually every aspect of the operation Furthermore, there is a tremendous diversity of experiences among farm women.

The research shows farm women continue to face significant challenges and barriers that need to be addressed The level and satisfaction with communication about the farm proved to be a critical dimension in determining the nature of the experience of farm women. Other critical dimensions include women feeling valued and supported with their skillsets utilized.

The Report offers over 30 recommendations presented under six (6) distinct groupings:

*Support gender equity and equality initiatives in policy development, programming and governance

*Create and enhance programming, development opportunities, and resources that specifically address the needs of farm women

*Dedicate efforts beyond women in agriculture to focus exclusively on supporting farm women

*Promote communication and interpersonal skills along with business management practices as essential

Components Of Farming

*Expand existing research to more effectively capture data related to farm women (ex. Census)

*Conduct additional research on the experience and contributions of farm women, factors that influence farm success, and a comparative study of farm men using the same humancentered lens

To celebrate the release of this research, Farm Management Canada will be hosting a panel discussion at its 2023 Agricultural Excellence Conference taking place November 2123 in Guelph, Ontario. The session will feature presentations by the lead researchers and invited guests from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and la Fédération des Agricultrices du Québec to explore how the findings of this research can inform policies, programs, and initiatives aimed at empowering farm women

"We are excited to unveil this transformative research, which provides a roadmap for empowering

Canada’s farm women," says Heather Watson, Executive Director of Farm Management Canada "By recognizing and supporting the unique needs of farm women, we can unlock tremendous potential for advancing Canada’s agricultural sector from the grassroots, paving the way for future generations of farmers in Canada."

This research was made possible through the generous contributions of the project Steering Committee including representatives from the Maritime Agriculture Women’s Network, la Fédération des Agricultrices du Québec, the Ag Women’s Network (Ontario), Ag Women Manitoba, Manitoba Women in Agriculture & Food, Women in Agriculture (Saskatchewan), Alberta Ag Women and BC Women in Ag.

The research was funded by the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, FCC, RBC, WS and the Government of Canada under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership led by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

The County of Brant is celebrating Ontario Agriculture Week by highlighting Brant's Fresh from the Farm - Farm and Market Guide! From farms to markets to orchards to breweries, our community is extremely fortunate to have so many amazing producers so close to our tables! The Farm and Market Guide is an initiative designed to provide County of Brant residents with information about local farms and the fresh food and produce available to them.

View the guide online today at brant.ca/FarmGuide