By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Darla Price, Executive Director of the Northumberland Manufacturers’ Association, addressed Cobourg council on Wednesday regarding Mayor Lucas Cleveland’s Manufacturing Tour last summer, balancing off a great deal of good news in the report with a stark warning about a need for housing that is nearing a crisis point.
Basically, Price’s report said, two employees earning $25 an hour cannot afford the average $2,000 monthly rent.
While she knows of two manufacturers preparing to invest more than $10-million in expansion, for example, “our top priority – above all else – our success depends on our people. A skilled, stable and supported workforce and an ecosystem where people can afford to live in the same community where they work.”
No matter what recruitment strategy local manufacturers discuss, Price said, “the same barrier always emerged. Not affordable housing, but attainable housing. Families earning a combined $120,000 to $130,000 should be able to rent or purchase a modest home here.”
The result is 50 to 60 workers bused in to staff local manufacturers from Mississauga daily. Other manufacturers have lost talented people because they can’t afford to live here.
“We are at a critical point where action needs to be taken,” she stated, listing rentals in the $1,200 to $1,600 range, multiplexes, secondary units, modular workforce housing on or near employment lands.
“Today we are asking for more – more exploration of innovative solutions, a willingness to consider approaches that are unconventional but necessary.”
Price called for “a community where workers can truly live their lives and stay, where young workers, new Canadians, even our long-term employees approaching retirement can find a house that suits their needs.”
The supports that come with that – shopping, transit, recreation – are also important, she added.
“I consistently heard that message from every single manufacturer – build more housing,” Cleveland agreed.
“Every single person I talked with. ‘If we don’t see a change in housing, we have to start looking for other communities to move our facilities.’”
This is not something the town can afford, he added, giving how much these manufacturers contribute to the tax base.
“So the message is get housing built, get rentals built, and get it done yesterday,” he summed up.
Council passed a motion to support in principle all the recommendations in the report in support of the manufacturing community, and to refer the report to staff for a report back in terms of prioritization and implementation.
