​Make your concerns known about proposed affordable housing project in Kincardine, says reader

To the Editor:

Last fall, four members of Kincardine council voted to direct staff to sever and rezone part of the parking lot behind the Bruce Power Training Centre at 705 Princes Street, Kincardine (the former W.E. Thompson Public School).

Council had spent $15,000 on a report by Flourish (quietly accepted by council, Oct. 23) which outlined potential municipal lands that could be used for constructing (according to that same Flourish report) a 34-unit, three-storey building with support infrastructure for unhoused people.

This year, during budget talks, Jan. 27, the same four council members voted to spend another $18,000 on an engineering report for this proposed housing project.
 

• Nov. 13, 2024, mayor Kenneth Craig, deputy mayor Andrea Clarke, councillor Mike Hinchberger and councillor Rory Cavanagh voted for the motion to sever and rezone the parking lot. Councillor Bill Stewart voted against it. The motion carried.
• Jan. 27, 2025, the same four people voted to spend a further $18,000 for an engineering report for this project. Again, Stewart voted against it, saying the municipality was putting the cart before the horse. Any further discussion of the project itself was immediately shut down. The motion carried.

This Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 4:30 p.m., council is meeting to begin finalizing the budget. Before that happens, ratepayers might be interested in reading that 21-page Flourish report. Here is a link to it: pub-kincardine.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=32080.

The municipality does need more low-income housing, but this is not a suitable location for what it is proposing. That property is in the midst of Kincardine’s downtown heritage area, across from Victoria Park, and is a heavily-used municipal asset, fully leased out by an excellent tenant, and provides parking not only for that tenant, but additionally, for every single municipal event.

To this day, there has been zero consultation with the public, with downtown merchants or with nearby residents. If you have comments or concerns after reading the Flourish report, contact your councillor(s). You can leave messages on their extensions by calling 519-396-3468. Remember that our council is trying to do its best and keep your comments respectful.
 

• Chief administrative officer (CAO) Jillene Bellchamber-Glazier, Ext. 7141
• Mayor Kenneth Craig, Ext. 7181
• Deputy mayor Andrea Clarke, Ext. 7182
• Councillors-at-Large Rory Cavanagh, Ext. 7185; Mike Hinchberger, Ext. 7188; Jennifer Prenger, Ext. 7186
• Ward 1 councillors Beth Blackwell, Ext. 7189; Stellina Williams, Ext. 7184
• Ward 2 councillor Bill Stewart, Ext. 7183
• Ward 3 councillor Amanda Steinhoff-Gray, Ext. 7187

Sincerely,
C. Brown
Kincardine