Collingwood to host Affordable Housing Workshop on June 30
The Town of Collingwood, together with the United Nation’s Urban Economy Forum, is hosting a virtual Affordable Housing Workshop on Thursday, June 30th to bring together residents, advocates, academics, and other key stakeholders, to discuss and consider urgent action needed to address affordable housing in Collingwood and other municipalities. This collaborative workshop will examine affordable housing at the scale of towns, focusing on next steps for municipalities, businesses, advocates, and others who want a significant increase in our sustainable housing supply.
Affordable Housing Case Study: Town of Collingwood
Resources from the Housing Workshop including the recording of the event, the chat summary and slide decks are available.
In February 2021, Collingwood Town Council established an Affordable Housing Task Force to take leadership with a number of possible strategies to enhance and increase the supply of affordable housing. Council also approved $350,000 in the 2022 Municipal Budget for Affordable Housing plus the hiring of a Housing Development Specialist. That position will help prepare and implement an Affordable Housing Master Plan, and other projects or programs designed to increase the supply of affordable housing.
Undoubtedly, solutions to housing affordability challenges require strong collaboration between all levels of government, the not-for-profit sector, and private developers/builders. “If we want to improve the local housing crisis, we need to lead by example, including in how we plan for Collingwood’s growth and in working with our developers and stakeholders to take action immediately” says CAO Sonya Skinner.
In the morning of the workshop, which is free and open for anyone to register, there will be a presentation from the Affordable Housing Task Force, summarizing their recommendations. Then an Affordable Housing Insights & Innovations Panel Discussion moderated by Dr. Anneke Smit, Windsor Law Centre for Cities. Panelists include Anaclaudia Rossbach, Latin America Housing Expert; Andrea Nemtin, Social Innovation Canada; Larry Law, Living Water Resort; Jamie Shipley, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC); and Jim Tischler, Visiting Fellow, Windsor Law Centre for Cities.
The afternoon will be spent workshopping next steps & actions for Collingwood as a case study, including four main topic areas:
- Affordable Housing Built Form
- Municipal Policy & Regulatory Innovation
- Creative Business Development Models
- Activating Collaborations & Partnerships
Workshop Objectives:
- To conceptualize pilot projects and an Affordable Housing Master Plan in Collingwood and beyond that will also support other towns in understanding the suite of actions available and their merit.
- To continue building partnerships among towns and small cities and their housing advocates.
- To highlight how the World Urban Pavilion in Regent Park (virtual/physical) can be a space to discuss in a practical manner urban challenges and innovative solutions.
This event continues the preparation for the 3rd Collingwood World Summit being held on October 31 & November 1, 2022. The overall theme of the Summit will focus on Sustainable Housing and Financing as a catalyst for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (“SDG”), and in particular SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
About Collingwood
The Town of Collingwood is a progressive community located in the heart of a four-season recreation area on the southern shore of Georgian Bay. The area is well known for its many natural amenities and its rich heritage. Collingwood is a destination for tourism and many business, sporting, and cultural events Collingwood acts as gateway to the South Georgian Bay region, with stunning landscapes that encourage an active lifestyle, and inspire the local arts and culture community. Downtown Collingwood might just surprise you with 30 plus restaurants, 60 plus boutique shops, spas for relaxing, live music for grooving…all in the only downtown core recognized in Canada’s Registrar of Historic Places! More recently, the harbourfront area is emerging as an extension to the downtown district. Plans for expanding the amenities and events in the harbourfront area promise to make this a much more prominent tourism destination.
For more information, contact:
Christa Carter
Manager, Public Relations & Communications
T. 705-445-1030 Ext. 3274
ccarter@collingwood.ca