REGINA – You can always hope for good neighbours, but in determining who moves in next door, that’s about all you can do – hope.
“People don’t need permission to move into neighbourhoods,” said Barbara Hall from the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
The former Toronto mayor said that in her experience, attitudes about social and affordable housing projects are perhaps one of the biggest barriers to solving the housing crisis.
“Often it adds to the cost because additional meetings are required; there are delays; sometimes these projects are turned down,” she said.
The second day of a two day Mayor’s Housing Summit included presentations on some real-life solutions tried in other cities across the country.
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“Individuals living in rooming houses…share a common washroom with up to six or ten unrelated and unfamiliar people and overall, in the facilities, there’s a lack of security,” said Paul McNeil, from MMM Group Limited.
Rooming houses have become a hot topic in Regina in the past several weeks, and McNeil thinks he might have a solution: ‘pocket suites’ – which have had some success in Winnipeg.
“The suites are 220 square feet each, but each suite is fully self-contained in that it has a kitchenette (and) a full washroom,” he said.
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Mayor Fougere would like to see these ideas taken forward. He announced late Tuesday afternoon the creation of the Mayor’s Forum on Housing. Its aim is to identify solutions and make recommendations, as well as help to reduce unnecessary red tape. Fougere said he has invited the province and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to also become involved.
“We want an action plan. This is what the community has been talking about, you heard it today. People want action,” he said. “The strategy is there to some degree, so let’s start acting and doing things as soon as we can.”
Council will vote on the idea as early as the end of this month. Fougere also announced another housing summit will take place next year.
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