Money for affordable housing in Oxford County budget

Ratepayers in Oxford County will be shelling out more this year.

County council has approved a $308 million budget for 2023, which comes with 6.3 per cent tax increase. The good news is that some of that will be offset by new growth, and works out to an additional 3.5 per cent increase on the county portion of the municipal tax bill.

The budget also includes an investment in affordable housing, according to County Warden Marcus Ryan.

“Frankly, the tax levy could have been lower, but Oxford County Council added in $1.25 million to directly spend on affordable housing, and has raised that to a three million per year ongoing commitment,” he explained.

For Woodstock, Ont. resident Mike Bingham, it’s encouraging news. He’s been looking for a place to live for the last three months while staying in local shelters. While he has a steady job, he said he still can’t find anything in his price range.

“Very, very difficult,” he remarked. “Most places are anywhere from…you feel lucky if you can find a one bedroom for anything less than $1,200 a month, and that’s heat and hydro included.”

The approval of the budget follows a scathing rebuke by Oxford County of Bill 23, the Ford government’s More Homes Built Faster Act — it’s a plan to build 1.5 million homes over 10 years. Part of the plan would remove some development charges that developers currently pay, and shift them to municipalities.

Ryan said this will cost Oxford County ratepayers more than $10.5 million over 10 years.

“It’s highly questionable whether the supposed savings of these development charges is actually going to be passed on to the sale price of a house,” said Ryan. “The sale price of a house is going to be much more reflective of market realities than about the fact that that developer is going to save five, 10, 15, $25,000 on that house. There’s no reason to believe that’s going to be directly passed on.”

“Well if they don’t have to pay it, they can’t charge it,” said Rob Flack.

Speaking to CTV News London last week, the Progressive Conservative MPP for Elgin Middlesex London insisted the new housing bill is not a download.

“For low income, affordable housing we’re going to remove those development fees so we can get homes built faster, and lower the cost of homes so people can afford to live in the house that they need. We’re sick of kids having to live in their parent’s basement,” he explained.

As for Bingham, he said he’s hoping to save enough money to come up with first and last month’s rent on a place he can call home.

“It’s been a slow, ongoing process, but you just [got to] find the right people, the right resources, and keep your head up,” he said.