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Housing Strategy Deputation to Council

One of the most significant challenges facing our community is the lack of affordable rental housing. It makes it difficult for younger Town of the Blue Mountains residents to continue to live and work here, and it limits the ability of our businesses to prosper and grow due to challenges in sourcing employees locally. That is why the BMRA formed a TBM Housing Strategy Working Group, including a variety of stakeholders, to promote the development of affordable rental / workforce housing. We were successful in pushing Council to acknowledge the problem by declaring a TBM housing crisis, and the Town has most recently formed a Housing Action Team (HAT) to take a more focused and coordinated approach to dealing with the challenge.

As the term of our current Council approaches its end, with little discernible progress having been made on the housing file, the BMRA made a deputation last week. In it, we proposed action that Council and Staff could take in the remaining time to move forward in addressing the issue, and to help set the agenda for the next Council. A Council motion was passed that supported a number of our recommendations, and we will continue to work with Council and the HAT to help ensure those commitments are met.

We attach a copy of our deputation, and the motion passed by Council last week.

The motion passed by Council

Further to your Deputation at the May 25, 2026, Committee of the Whole Meeting, at the June 1, 2026, Council Meeting the following Resolution was confirmed:

THAT Council of the Town of The Blue Mountains receives the Deputation of Pamela Spence, on behalf of The Blue Mountains Ratepayers' Association regarding Town of The Blue Mountains Housing Strategy and Affordable Housing. CARRIED

And with respect to the Housing Action Team, noted in your Deputation, at the same meeting, the following Resolutions were also confirmed by Council:

1. THAT Council receive Staff Report ADM.26.026, entitled “Housing Action Team”;

AND THAT Council supports the creation of the Housing Action Team (HAT) and associated Terms of Reference.  CARRIED

1. THAT, with respect to Staff Report ADM. 26.026, entitled Housing Action Team, upon implementation of the Housing Action Team (HAT) the CAO appoints an internal member to work directly with the Housing Strategy Working Group Task Force on a quarterly basis to bring forward housing initiatives in the Town. CARRIED

1. THAT, with respect to Staff Report ADM.26.026, entitled “Housing Action Team”, Council direct staff to provide a staff report by July 13 2026 with a draft of a strategic plan for Q3-Q4 2026 and recommendations for 2027 to address TBM’s housing crisis and achieve target rental and affordable housing units by 2030 including details on the following –

• A draft of a communications plan to inform and engage residents, regional municipalities and related sectors about our housing crisis;

• A schedule of work or steps to progress the HAT plan;

• Integrate the CIP programme and CIP administrator into HAT and its plan;

• An agenda to address the Grey Rd 19 Workforce Housing Development (Byrne proposal);

• Schedule the review of Town’s surplus lands to detail disposition or use;

• A framework and tracking tool for quarterly reporting on progress to deliver and achieve target affordable units by 2030;

• Create strategies to explore ideas such as -

o   Preapproved unit design options;

o   Ownership/rental options;

o   Financial tools including community wealth

o   Developer recruitment (market and non-market) or roundtable to promote working in the Town of The Blue Mountains.

What do you think?