Packed house looks at housing options at documentary screening, seminar

It was a packed house in Brevik Hall last Tuesday night when Aurora Cares – Housing For All hosted a screening of the documentary “Thinking Beyond the Market: Rethinking Canada's Housing Crisis,” followed by a question-and-answer period with filmmaker Dr. Brian Doucet and local experts and advocates.

Thinking Beyond the Market follows Doucet as he travels across Canada exploring different policies, programs, and projects that are helping to address Canada's current housing crisis, one that is typically compounded by the ongoing crisis of affordability.

Among those in attendance was Ward 1 Councillor Ron Weese, who said the evening provided plenty of food for thought on housing models and policies that could benefit a community like Aurora.

“Some that resonated, for instance, was one in Whistler, BC where employees that they need desperately couldn't afford the cost of homes there, so they put a housing project together that had multiple ways of financing it and to take it out of the market so you could come in, get a place to live, but when you left, you had to leave it at the same price that you bought it. It was getting rid of this inflationary spiral upwards that happens with most homes.

“Another one in Montreal was interesting in that you have a first right of refusal on certain properties so if somebody wanted to sell a property, they would go and get a quote from somebody who wanted to buy it, and then they would have to bring that to the municipality [which] would have the right to buy it at that price. There are some really unique things that are going on and one of them, of course, was renovictions in order to try to maintain the inventory of affordable rental products.”

Councillor Weese has been a leading voice in putting local bylaws on the books that would assist residents in the cases of renovictions and he says he hopes staff will bring bylaw options forward by the end of the current Council term.

In the meantime, he hopes the discussions that took place last week following the screening will bring about continued momentum towards solutions.

“The film showed what can be done and I think the direction that Aurora Cares may take is to look at what's feasibly possible to do given the circumstances we have here in our own Town because, if you look at all those options and the way things have been done in other locations, they're all different, there's no one size-fits-all in terms of affordable housing. We know that's a very difficult concept and its relatively new in the history of Aurora and Ontario, so we have to come up with some creative ways to get people to think about housing as a human need and a human right and not something that is negotiable and is driven by a market, because the market can't be relied upon to provide affordable housing.

“What will work in Aurora may not work in a larger community or even a smaller community, so we have to pick and choose the things that need to be done, and I think the other message is we have to do something. We can't do nothing, so start looking at ways to be creative.”

One individual looking to bring about change to the community who served on the working committee who planned the screening was Ward 1 Council candidate Rocco Morsillo who said attendance was encouraging.

“It was encouraging to see our community come together to have meaningful conversations and explore solutions around housing inclusion,” he said. “Diverse housing options help build stronger, more resilient communities while supporting employment opportunities, economic growth, and creating places where everyone has the chance to thrive.

“A big thank you to our guest speakers, Dr. Brian Doucet, Michael Braithwaite, and Brent King, for sharing their knowledge and perspectives on the complex challenges surrounding housing solutions. And special thanks to our title sponsor, Wasim Jarrah of Concierge Realty, for supporting this important conversation. Together, by listening, learning, and collaborating, we can continue working toward stronger and more inclusive communities in Aurora.”

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter