Long-time Orillia councilor Ralph Cipolla often refers to the need for “appropriate housing.” Some residents require housing which is governed by rent controls. Seniors looking to downsize will look for smaller, accessible units. Some seniors will look to band with other seniors in a collective type of home ownership. People with adult children living at home need space, while some families will seek to build a “granny flat” to accommodate an older parent. These issues are within the control of the city, and recommendations can be made to allow an appropriate inventory of a variety of housing to meet these demands.
The objective must be appropriate and sustainable housing available for all citizens, now and in the future. To meet the needs of a diverse population, it is necessary to recognize that people have a range of requirements:
- Some need care to be provided in order to be secure
- Through the City’s industrial and other planning, determine the projected population going forward and the type of housing required to meet this demand
- Add in the requirement that all housing should become increasingly sustainable in every sense
Creating a Plan
Our goal is to encourage the citizens of Orillia and the City to embrace the concept of a better and more sustainable environment. For housing, this can be done by
- Strengthening, over time, the regulations and building codes to make new housing more environmentally friendly
Cataloguing and then publicizing grants and other monetary incentives available to homeowners and landlords to help create more sustainable housing - Creating a publicity campaign to inform the community of the many measures that can reduce energy use and help the environment—many of which can save them money in the long run
- Ideally, the housing future in Orillia will have everyone in our community living in homes with reduced energy demands and a reduced ecological footprint—homes, which as a result, cost the homeowners or renters less to live in and maintain.
To have a broad spectrum of input on this subject, we encourage people to register for our initial event on May 24th and 25th. After that we will encourage people to become part of this movement toward a more sustainable community, a more sustainable planet.
Further Reading:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/climate-change-leads-to-higher-home-insurance-1.5065526
