Mayor's Housing Task Force releases report

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Peterborough, ON – Mayor Jeff Leal released the report from the Mayor’s Task Force for Housing Creation, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. 

The report contains 15 recommendations intended to speed up the pace of housing construction in the City and help address the housing crisis. 

Mayor Leal appointed the Task Force members in January 2024 and asked them to report back with recommendations to help facilitate the construction of more housing in Peterborough to meet the City’s Housing Target of 4,700 housing units by 2031. 

The recommendations cover three primary areas: speeding up development, cutting building costs, and fostering partnerships. 

 Key proposals include: 

  • Speeding up Development: Guaranteeing a one-year approval timeline for non-profit and multi-unit housing projects, establishing a dedicated team to fast-track priority developments, and simplifying requirements for housing approvals. 

  • Cutting Building Costs: Adjusting municipal standards to reduce the cost of development, including re-evaluating requirements such as sidewalk placement and tree compensation fees. 

  • Enhancing Partnerships and Advocacy: Encouraging partnerships with Indigenous, non-profit, and private sectors and advocating for federal and provincial support, particularly for affordable and Indigenous housing initiatives. 

Mayor Leal will bring the recommendations of the Task Force for consideration by City Council at the General Committee meeting on Monday December 2, 2024.

The Task Force members are:

  • Paul Bennett - Principal, Ashburnham Realty
  • Chelsea Combot - Director of Policy, Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services
  • Brian Fenton - Principal, Peterborough Homes
  • Hans Jain – Principal, Atria Development
  • Hope Lee - former CEO of Peterborough Housing Corporation
  • Rebecca Schillemat – Executive Officer, Peterborough & the Kawarthas Home Builders Association
  • Brad Smith – President and CEO, AON Inc.
  • Susan Zambonin – CEO, Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region

Mayor Leal served as Chair of the Task Force with Councillor Kevin Duguay as Vice Chair, and Councillors Dave Haacke and Keith Riel providing input.

Quotes

I want to thank the members of the Task Force for sharing their time and expertise on this critical issue for our community. It was invaluable to hear about how we can improve our processes and policies from the builders who must navigate them each and every day. I believe these recommendations will make a difference for our community, and I encourage my Council colleagues to support them when I bring the report forward next month.

–Mayor Jeff Leal

I want to thank Mayor Leal, the Housing Task Force and City Staff for all their hard work through this process. The cost of construction and the planning process are the two biggest issues facing the construction industry as we try to get more housing starts in our community. The ideas shared as part of Housing Task Force should help to improve the process and hopefully encourage community builders to work in a positive way with the City to create more housing. If implemented, many of these recommendations will help get more housing built and attract much needed investment to our community.

– Paul Bennett, Ashburnham Realty

PKHBA values participating on the Mayor's Housing Taskforce and welcomes its recommendations to expedite housing development across the housing continuum. These measures are essential to addressing local housing challenges and improving attainability, and we look forward to continued collaboration with the City to drive impactful progress and support comprehensive community growth.

– Rebecca Schillemat, Executive Officer, Peterborough & The Kawarthas Home Builders Association

I was pleased to participate in the Mayor's Housing Task Force, representing Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region, a non-profit affordable homeownership developer. Several initiatives will help build more non-profit affordable housing and we are glad to see specific timelines attached to these recommendations. Habitat PKR is ready to build and contribute to the 4,700 units promised in the Housing Pledge.

– Susan Zambonin, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Peterborough and Kawartha Region

The full report is available online:

Mayor's Task Force for Housing Creation Report