They were there to talk about one of the most critical issues in this area: housing.
About 75 people gathered at St. Augustine Parish Hall in Humboldt on March 22 at the invitation of the Prairie Innovation Enterprise Region (PIER) to take part in their 2012 Regional Housing Forum.
"The availability of market affordable housing is a critical issue for the future social and economic well-being of our region," states PIER's literature on the event. "Industry employees, seniors, students and those moving to our region have housing needs that need to be identified and addressed."
The forum provided an opportunity for municipalities, housing experts and industry representatives to discuss the housing needs in PIER's area.
The day opened with an "Introduction to Market Affordable Housing" with Keith Hanson of the SunRidge Group.
Then it was PIER's turn to take to the podium to present their Regional Housing Needs and Demand Assessment.
According to PIER CEO Sylvia Waterer, they developed this assessment with significant stakeholder input, through surveys and face-to-face consultations.
One of its uses, she said, will be to allow municipalities to apply for funding initiatives related to housing, as it proves that there is a housing shortage in this area now, and new housing is definitely needed for the future.
"We hope that it will lead to a customized funding program for the PIER region," Waterer noted. "The vision is that the funding will be administered by a regional housing mechanism."
Many employers in the region are saying that the shortage of affordable housing and rental units is hindering their recruitment and retention of a skilled workforce, the assessment notes.
With the PIER area positioned to benefit from billions of dollars in private investment over the next decade, thanks to resource development, manufacturing growth, new business start-ups, and residential and commercial development, it is critical that the housing issue be addressed.
In their Regional Housing Needs and Demands assessment, PIER learned that new immigrants and entry-level workers are being attracted to the region to support the labour needs in manufacturing, agriculture and consumer goods sectors. These employees are often production line workers and service industry employees earning between $25,000 and $40,000 annually.
"They find it especially difficult to find affordable rental accommodations," the report states. "All of these housing issues will exacerbate when the new potash mine comes into production in 2014 or 2015."
Their assessment also notes that the cost of new construction is escalating as the demand for skilled trades and land prices go up.
"A reduced housing supply in the region and escalating demand is increasing what was previously affordable and entry-level housing into higher price brackets," the assessment states.
Municipalities, the assessment notes, are also facing a number of challenges in addressing the demand for more housing and rental units at all income levels.
Smaller communities are especially being challenged because of limited fiscal and human resources, limited planning capacity, insufficient infrastructure and inexperience working with developers, among other things.
"By 2022, this study forecasts that primary industry will create 1,450 new regional jobs, largely in mining, manufacturing, agricultural and food processing. These new jobs and the resulting economic growth will also generate another 725 jobs through indirect and induced employment impacts. The population of the region will expand by 6,000 to 7,000 people by 2022," the report states.
Three-quarters of those new industry direct hires will be for well-paid mining jobs. However, 52 per cent of all the jobs will produce a household income of less than $67,000 and 25 per cent of those households will have a combined income of less than $37,000, the report notes.
Humboldt, Wynyard and Lanigan are expected to experience the most growth in the region, but other communities are still expected to experience population gains and a demand for more housing.
Already, many municipalities are updating their official community plans and zoning bylaws, PIER noted, and infrastructure planning is occurring in some.
However, smaller communities say they don't have the experience or expertise to address housing and infrastructure demands from rapid growth, and all municipalities say they cannot afford to finance the new growth-driven infrastructure investments that are required.
PIER noted five housing priorities in their report, each requiring its own innovative plan and solution.
Those priorities include market housing, entry-level housing, affordable rental units, senior housing, and student housing.
By 2022, in order to accommodate the 2,200 new jobs created in the region, PIER estimated that the region will need 250 social housing units, 600 affordable housing and rental units, 550 entry level housing units, and 800 market housing units.
They also identified key challenges for each area, including subsidies or assistance for rental housing under social housing, incentive for construction for affordable housing and rental units, a shortage of entry-level properties for first-time buyers for the entry-level housing area, and increasing the supply of market housing by developers and municipalities.
"There is a recognition for the need and value of a collaborative regional approach to housing but up until now, this has not been done," PIER noted in their conclusion. "There is an opportunity for regional stakeholders to take a more collaborative approach to housing in the future to ensure the best solutions are found."
Many employers, it was added have indicated they would support initiatives within a reasonable commuting distance that will allow them to hire and retain a skilled workforce, and some are willing to contribute directly to regional housing solutions.
The report recommended that PIER help bring municipalities and others together to develop a regional plan to address this issue.
After a few other speakers on housing and funding alternatives, the group was asked to consider a regional housing mechanism and provide feedback as to what such a thing would look like.
The feedback from the crowd included questions of whether such a mechanism is needed, but for the most part stated that if there was to be one, it shouldn't take the place of anything already offered, and should be a one-stop shop for information for municipalities, developers and employers.
