Housing crisis declared in Town of the Blue Mountains
The Town of the Blue Mountains officially ratified the declaration of a housing crisis in Monday's council meeting, three weeks after voting in favour of the motion.
The ratification does not carry any specific call to action, but Town staff said they would continue working with the province and Grey County to increase housing stock.
"We are the second fastest growing municipality in Canada, but there is a lack of mixed housing in order to be able to for us to be able to meet all of our community needs," said Mayor Andrea Matrosovs. "It's come to the point where we really have to be able to respond to this in an urgent manner."
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
A real estate expert confirmed to CTV News that the popularity and growth of the ski resort continues to be great for tourism but not for local housing.
"The focus on investment property is driving up the prices, limiting the availability of affordable houses for the local residents and seniors looking to downsize," stated Liliana Grovu from eXp Realty.
According to the Town, the average price of a single detached home in the Blue Mountains is $ 1.37 million, while a townhome is $800,000 on average. Single detached homes make up 82 per cent of the Town's housing mix, while townhomes make up 12 per cent, and apartment-style units make up six per cent.
Further, owners tend to prefer quality over quantity when it comes to monthly rentals.
"There are a lot of places into the range of between $3,000 to $6,000 [per month]," said Grovu. "Investors are willing to keep [properties] empty for a long time until they find the quality and the person that can afford that."
The Town's Community Improvement Plan suggests incentivizing the construction of apartment-style properties and adding secondary and tertiary units to existing builds.
In a statement to CTV News, a Grey County spokesperson said they currently support 60 affordable housing units in the Town of The Blue Mountains and provide some rental support. However, their next affordable housing builds are intended for Dundalk and Owen Sound.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Polls close for closely watched byelections in Montreal and Winnipeg
The NDP has a slight early lead in Winnipeg while remaining in a three-way race with the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois in Montreal as ballots continue to be counted in two crucial federal byelections.
GoFundMe cancels fundraiser for Ontario woman charged with spraying neighbour with a water gun
A Simcoe, Ont., woman charged with assault with a weapon after accidentally spraying her neighbour with a water gun says GoFundMe has now pulled the plug on her online fundraiser.
Freeland says she is 'not going anywhere' after Conservatives call her 'phantom finance minister'
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland declared she is 'not going anywhere' when pushed by the Conservatives on Monday about her future as finance minister.
Suspect in apparent assassination attempt on Trump was near golf course for 12 hours
The man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt targeting Donald Trump camped outside a golf course with food and a rifle for nearly 12 hours.
Body recovered from B.C. lake after unclothed man leads investigators to crash site
Mounties are investigating a fatal crash north of Whistler, B.C., after an unclothed man who was found along the side of the road led police to a pickup truck submerged in a lake with one occupant still inside.
'Never seen anything like this': Humpback whale catches unsuspecting seal off Vancouver Island
A Vancouver Island nature photographer says he has never seen anything like what his camera captured on a recent whale-watching excursion off Victoria.
'Not that simple': Trump drags Canadian river into California's water problems
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promised "more water than you ever saw" to Californians, partly by tapping resources from a Canadian river.
Mortgage loan rules are changing in Canada
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has announced changes to mortgage rules she says are aimed at helping more Canadians to purchase their first home.
First teen sentenced in Kenneth Lee case gets 15 months probation
The first teenager to be sentenced in the death of a Toronto homeless man will not face further time in custody, and instead participate in a community-based program.