One specific action I would take is to make it faster and less expensive to build housing in Sarnia by creating a streamlined “Housing Fast Track” for projects that meet our Official Plan and zoning requirements. Sarnia already has tools to encourage affordable housing, including grants, fee reductions and reduced parking requirements through its Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan. I would build on those tools by setting clear approval timelines, eliminating unnecessary duplication and reviewing municipal fees and parking requirements that add costs without providing sufficient public benefit. I would also prioritize using surplus or underutilized City-owned land for attainable and affordable housing—an approach already contemplated in Sarnia’s Official Plan. By the end of four years, my objective would be measurable: more approved and completed housing units, shorter municipal approval times, and more housing options at different price points—including rentals, starter homes, townhouses, apartments and additional residential units. The City cannot control interest rates, construction costs or federal and provincial housing policy, but we can control how difficult, expensive and time-consuming City Hall makes it to build. My focus would be on the things Sarnia can actually change.
