The West Parry Sound Regional Economic Development Collaboration and The Labour Market Group hosted a regional area Housing Summit at the Grand Tappattoo Resort on Wednesday April 24th aimed to stimulate thought, discussion and solutions that may be initiated to provide rental and attainable accommodation for current and future workforce employees, both full-time and seasonal, within our rural and urban municipalities.
West Parry Sound regional EDO, Glen Barnden, welcomed a packed audience consisting of municipal representatives, planners, economic development officers, property owners, funding services, builders, developers, educators, large industry, healthcare and seasonal employers.
MPP Parry Sound-Muskoka Norm Miller said the Province is supportive of accommodation solutions and will be announcing programs in the near future.
The District of Parry Sound Social Services Administrative Board and The Labour Market Group provided statistics on current accommodation supply and employment earnings by sector. The workshop sessions were an opportunity to openly discuss various perspectives from key stakeholders within the community in order to understand their challenges and provide insight for next steps in order to accomplish accommodation development.
“There is a significant demand right now for new accommodation and we will see this pressure increase over the next 18 months as our current businesses grow and new businesses look to establish themselves within our area in the near future”, said Barnden.
“I am pleased to see this group come together to discuss the need for affordable housing” said MPP Miller to the attendees. “Your attendance here is a good indication of just how big an issue is for our people, our businesses and our communities as a whole”.
Out-of-town and international visitors at the event are looking to invest in various development projects in the area. One company is looking to bring up to 100 “green” modular homes to the Parry Sound Area from Korea and needs 20 to 25 acres of residentially zoned land.
West Parry Sound Regional Economic Development represents the Municipalities of McKellar, Whitestone, Carling, McDougall, Parry Sound, Sequin, Archipelago and is dedicated to the economic growth of all the municipalities. Our mission is to support the local businesses that drive our economy and grow the investment and development opportunities in our region.