The housing crisis in Parry Sound–Muskoka is real. Seniors can’t downsize. Employers can’t house the workers they need. Young families can’t afford a first home in the community they grew up in.
Now the District of Muskoka is proposing to spend $17 million of your money to compete with private builders instead of fixing the real problem: slow approvals and rising fees.
Here’s why that’s the wrong call:
- It’s not government’s job to run a factory. Private companies already build modular and panelized homes, and they do it well. Your tax dollars shouldn’t bankroll a competitor to businesses that already work.
- The math doesn’t add up. A factory has to run at full capacity to survive, and Muskoka can’t use anywhere near that many homes. That means shipping units off to who-knows-where, with no proven buyers and taxpayers covering the losses.
- It ignores the real problem. Homes aren’t stalled for lack of a factory. They’re stalled by slow zoning, years-long approvals, and rising fees. The District recently raised development charges!
- It gambles $17 million. That’s your money bet on a business the private sector already runs, instead of spent clearing the barriers that actually hold up construction.
Government should do what it does best: cut the timelines, reduce the fees, and get out of the way so homes get built.
The vote hasn’t happened yet. Add your name and we’ll take this petition to District Council. Every signature adds weight to our message: