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Home » Joint Statement from Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Councillor Paul Sharman, and Councillor Kelvin Galbraith

Joint Statement from Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Councillor Paul Sharman, and Councillor Kelvin Galbraith

Joint Statement from Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Councillor Paul Sharman, and Councillor Kelvin Galbraith

Dear residents,

The housing affordability crisis demands thoughtful debate and action.

We need a fact-based discussion about the option to lift development charges paid for by homebuyers, while protecting tax payers and prompting other levels of government to honour their commitments to keep us whole.

We do our best work when we have accurate information, hear each other out, and look for common ground.

To that end we need to pause, get the facts, and take time to digest the new information we received from staff that we haven’t yet had a chance to discuss as the matter was understandably referred to the March 2 council.

The information is a game changer that provides new options for council to consider, including the benefit of a Community Improvement Plan (CIP), which doesn’t impact our development charge bylaw. A CIP also provides for extra public input, and the ability to attach conditions on fee relief, such as no luxury units, and projects that respect our Official Plan.

We also learned the potential financial impact is about one-tenth of original projections, and a temporary adjustment can be accommodated without increasing taxes, including using surplus or transfers.

To fully consider the new information and options available, Mayor Meed Ward and Councillors Sharman and Galbraith are preparing a motion for our March 2 Council meeting to refer this matter back to staff to prepare a Community Improvement Plan using federal Housing Accelerator Fund dollars with zero impact on taxpayers.

These are time-limited dollars we lose if we don’t act. The new motion has been submitted to council and the clerk for circulation.

If approved by Council, it would render null and void the original staff recommendation and proposed committee amendment.

Let’s meet this crisis together, thoughtfully and respectfully. Let’s take the time to get the information we need for good decision-making, while also moving forward with the urgency a crisis demands. Our children and grandchildren are depending on us.

The full text of the proposed motion is below, and will be presented at the March 2 Council meeting by Councillors Sharman and Galbraith:

Refer report DGM-03-26 regarding Options for the temporary elimination of Development Charges to the Commissioner of Development & Growth Management and the Chief Financial Officer to report back to Committee of the Whole on April 13, 2026 with a potential Community Improvement Plan funded from a source other than property taxes, such as the Federal Housing Accelerator Fund.

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