Fischer presented the data to council on Wednesday morning
The County of Huron was presented with it’s updated population and housing projections by Watson and Associates this week (Wednesday, February 21) – and the future is booming with expansion.
Adam Fischer, delivering the presentation, pointed to the county’s stable building permit activity, indicating sustained growth compared to other municipalities in Ontario – he said that the county would see 90,200 residents by 2051 by their estimates.
Mayor of Huron East Bernie MacLellan drew attention to the stable population projections, anticipating sustained growth in the coming years, and enquired as to what Fischer believed was a driving factor in that.
Projections in Watson and Associates report saw extremely high growth projected for the coming decades.
Mayor MacLellan said that the projections should prompt discussion about the future of the community for council.
MacLellan said that he thought the report should prompt long term decision making at the county level.
The report indicated that households with an income of less than $100,000 could only afford a maximum home purchase price of $310,000 – which puts ownership out of reach for many households in the county. Mayor of Bluewater Paul Klopp pointed out his concerns about housing affordability, especially for low-income households and seniors – increasing reliance on government funding.
Klopp pointed out that affordability discrepancies could put strains on social assistance
Fischer said that while the income and cost of living observed in the report weren’t reconcilable, there were several factors that couldn’t be accounted for, like the sale of a more valuable property in a metropolitan area providing equity for relocating families to subsidize their income, or the downsizing undertaken by many seniors providing equity for retirement.
Mayor of South Huron George Finch proposed that perhaps the county’s building should trend toward more condominiums – serving a variety of housing needs.
CAO Meighan Wark said that the report would serve as a crucial roadmap, guiding policymakers in shaping a sustainable future for the region.
To read the full report, click below:
https://agendas.huroncounty.ca/agendapublic/CoverSheet.aspx?ItemID=6447&MeetingID=549
Written by: B. Shakyaver
