Christa Lowry, Mayor of Mississippi Mills, who’s also the chair of the Rural Ontario Municipal Association, sat down with myFM for an in-depth discussion on challenges facing small towns as we head into a municipal election this October.
Affordable housing and homelessness were hot topics in the 2022 municipal elections and they’re still on the minds of Ontario voters, four years later.
Lowry noted large urban centres experience the same housing challenges as smaller ones, but often have more resources to respond. She reported the homelessness numbers keep rising in smaller communities at an alarming rate.
She hopes voters will look for candidates this fall with practical solutions, but notes the causes of homelessness are multiple and complex. In our region, she points out that residents have considerable power to help answer the call, especially with affordable housing.
Lowry added that small communities have limited resources to directly reduce any of the root causes of homelessness, but can support solutions by collaborating with partners and by encouraging sustainable housing plans that bring affordability back to residences.
Knowing the limitations on municipalities and how council candidates will work with them towards solutions will help voters make the best choices this fall.
Story by Brian Turner
