The City of Estevan is taking a new approach to the ongoing housing crisis.
City officials, along with Southeast Regional College CEO Dion McGrath, were in Regina Thursday for a meeting with Housing Minister June Draude.
Mayor Roy Ludwig said the meeting touched on all of the housing issues in Estevan but focused on the lack of affordable housing in the city. Since their various other approaches have failed to gain traction, Ludwig said they pitched an idea brought forward by McGrath that could benefit both the college and the city.
Ludwig said the college has had troubles finding lodging for students at the Saskatchewan Energy Training Institute in Estevan and have been looking at potential solutions. The one they pitched to Draude would be a building that could house students and those in need of affordable accommodations.
"We are looking at this from a collective point of view," Ludwig said. "If we can get private enterprise to come to the table because they are having trouble as well finding accommodations for their people. We have also talked to (Souris Moose Mountain MP) Ed Komarnicki."
Ludwig said because they are in the preliminary stages, they are not sure what form the project may take. He noted one idea they have looked at is a dormitory-style building.
"We'd like this building to help out (the regional college) to give them accommodations and also to help our people on the lower income side," he said. "Right now we are looking at a building where the college can fill needs with the students, with some of the larger employers in the area can perhaps fill a need, at least initially, to house their people."
The City has been working with the province over the past few months to find a more immediate solution to the lack of affordable housing but have yet to come away with an idea that all parties can agree upon.
Ludwig said part of the issue is the province does not want to expand the size of the Estevan Housing Authority and feels that the various incentives offered should encourage the construction of apartment buildings. However, that has not proved to be the case as the majority of builders are looking more toward condominium developments than apartments.
"From the ministry, they are looking at private industry putting up, for example, an apartment building," Ludwig said. "But we haven't had a lot of success because no one really wants to look after it after the fact, and the government isn't looking at any major expansion of our housing authority because from our point of view it was natural for the authority to expand and look after some of these buildings.
"Where the government is coming from, and we respect that, is looking at private enterprise to come along and build these buildings and then have a private person look after them after the fact. We've been talking to our developers and although we can get the building built if the money is there, the problem we have had in the past is who is going to look after it. No one is really all that interested in stepping up to the plate to help there. We are looking at different approaches and we feel this approach that Dion is working with us on is possibly a winner. We hope it will be."
Ludwig said there is precedent for such a project within Saskatchewan, pointing to a development in Meadow Lake that is used for their regional college students as well as people new to the City that are unable to find accommodations.
"We thought we could even expand it to single parents who are having trouble with accommodation. Basically, look at a broader view of helping people in the lower income strata that need accommodations.
"This building in Meadow Lake has been fairly successful; the federal government has money in that, the province has money in that. We are not cutting a whole new scheme, this has been established in some areas of the province so we are hoping this will be a success because the low income housing, we've struggled with it and haven't been successful to date."
