Kenora needs over 1,600 housing units to address current shortage, according to new housing needs assessment

The city of Kenora’s housing shortage could grow to 2,300 units in five years, if the city does not work to address its housing shortage now. That’s according to a housing needs assessment report presented to the city’s committee of the whole on Thursday.

The report was commissioned by the city earlier this year, as previous attempts to provide a clear picture of Kenora’s housing need to upper levels of government for funding had been unsuccessful.

“We didn’t really have the data that we needed to tell a compelling story in terms of what the need really was in Kenora,” said Stace Gander, Kenora’s Chief Administrative Officer. “As a result, we weren’t successful in our applications for funding, and similarly, developers when they were going to CMHC [Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation] to get support for their project, they were getting declined.”

According to the report, which was completed by Tim Welch Consultants Inc., the current housing need in Kenora is 1,618 units. Of the current housing supply, the report also found that 77 per cent are single-family detached homes, a percentage higher than other cities in northern Ontario.

This abundance of single-family dwellings is a contributing factor to the city’s housing crisis, given that over 20 per cent of the population is over the age of 65, higher than the national average, says Frazier Fathers, a lead author of the report.

“You want to downsize to an apartment or something like that, you know, are there those housing options for folks within the community to move around,” said Fathers, a senior housing consultant with Tim Welch. “If that senior can downsize to an apartment or condo, it then frees up a single family home for a new family.”

The report also highlights the difficulties of constructing homes in the Canadian Shield, which developers say slows down development and increases costs of construction. Adding to the issue is a low number of purpose-built rental units in the city, which when compounded with a low available housing stock, creates difficulties when attracting new employees for businesses. 

Gander says this inability to attract new talent, due to the housing shortage, can have an effect on other front-line services, such as healthcare, when hospitals and clinics aren’t able to retain staff.

In response to the housing needs assessment, the city says it has identified thirteen key actions it is undertaking to address the housing shortage in Kenora. Amongst the actions, the city plans to finalize a plan, alongside the All-Nations Health Care Partners and the Kenora Chief’s Advisory, for a 115-acre development including a new hospital and 500 new housing units.

The city also plans to undertake a new master infrastructure plan, while working to make additional city lands available for housing and applying for funding for additional resources from upper levels of government. 

According to Fathers, it is this funding that could offset some of the costs of construction, making the area more attractive for developers. 

Gander says the city is currently in active talks with developers, adding that the housing needs assessment study adds incentive to building in Kenora, highlighting a need for housing in the area. 

“I can tell you, in the next couple of years, you’re going to see a lot of housing starts here in Kenora.”