Council's Task Force on Affordable Housing
Council’s Task Force on Affordable Housing is looking for opportunities to increase the number of affordable housing units available in Midland. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) reports that over the period from 2015 to 2019 the vacancy rate for rental row-housing and apartment units declined from 3.3% to 2.0%. Over the last year the price of housing has continued to push affordable housing beyond the reach of many Midlander's, and the Task Force wants to see this trend reversed.
Municipalities across Canada facing similar challenges have taken action to fix the problem including:
- Zoning changes to encourage affordable housing
- Providing land to developers
- Reducing fees and taxes
…all built upon extensive engagement with their communities.
In June 2020, Midland Council created its Task Force on Affordable Housing. The Task Force will focus on the segment of the housing market known as “attainable housing” – housing not eligible for government social supports. This segment is often referred to as the ‘missing middle”. The Task Force will work through Council to organize the resources needed to ensure that sufficient attainable housing is built in Midland. To do this effectively it must engage with the residents of Midland to ensure they have the information they need and the opportunity to put forward their comments and ideas.
Building housing and helping low-income residents gain safe stable housing will take decades. It will only be successful if it is supported by the people of Midland. We need your help. Please take a moment to review the information and provide us with your ideas and insights so that all Midlander’s can find safe affordable housing.
Update: Council's Task Force on Affordable Housing is hosting a Virtual Town Hall:
- Monday, December 6, 2021, from 7-8:30 p.m.
- To participate, please email clerks@midland.ca by noon on Friday, December 3, 2021
- To submit comments/questions please email clerks@midland.ca by noon on Friday, December 3, 2021