It's no secret that housing in Estevan is an ongoing issue and has been for some time.
There either isn't enough of it, or it's too expensive, with prices catering only to those with the top salaries and levels of expendable income.
While we understand change comes slowly, and finding appropriate long-term solutions is complex and may present some risk, something must be done and it should have already happened.
The idea of providing affordable housing, whether it's publicly subsidized or otherwise, is one that will help the city in a number of ways, the least of which is by providing safe housing for lower-income earners.
While Estevan continues to wait for a solution, communities across the province are breaking ground or already completing affordable housing projects.
The province provided $12.2 million for a condo building in Saskatoon, adding 66 units for entry-level homebuyers. Another project was announced on Sept. 11 in Pinehouse Lake, where 19 affordable rental and homeownership units have been completed since 2007. Another eight units were announced in La Ronge, also on Sept. 11, which will be built for students and their families.
On Sept. 10, ground broke in Buffalo Narrows, where the provincial and federal governments were chipping in $500,000 for a housing project targeting single seasonal workers, full-time workers in the area and "possibly" pensioned seniors. That same day there was also an announcement for new affordable housing in La Loche.
On Sept. 9 the province announced the opening of new affordable rental housing in Regina, the day after announcing the re-opening of 20 affordable rental units in Moose Jaw that were "rehabilitated."
Don't forget about the Habitat for Humanity projects going ahead in Regina and Fort Qu'Appelle or the Headstart on a Home project in Kindersley, which will see 24 new townhouse style condos aimed at entry-level homebuyers. The province provided another $6.4 million in financing assistance to that project's developer.
The province boasts they have invested $326 million since 2011 to develop more than 5,600 units and repair another 24,000.
That's great. It really is a great thing for all of those communities, and we don't wish to take anything away from the projects that have been successfully funded.
We don't wish to suggest the projects in these cities and communities aren't viable projects that will help people find suitable shelter. We are sure they are all very worthy. We can only question why there is no action in Estevan.
We have heard of the Southeast Regional College being unable to fill classes at the Saskatchewan Energy Training Institute in Estevan, largely because there is no affordable and suitable place for students to reside while taking their classes.
But it's not just students of the college who can't find reasonable housing. There just aren't enough accommodations to support the kind of business growth that companies in Estevan crave.
We've seen some units added in Estevan, while watching prices continue to inflate.
College President Dion McGrath is hopeful their proposal, which plans to team up with businesses for a housing project, will lead to action, but there is no certainty there.
With so many projects being approved around the province we can only turn to our lobbyists, those who are supposed to be Estevan's voice at the provincial and federal levels. Are our leaders just not making a legitimate case for the needs in this city? Are they applying enough pressure or being persistent enough?
We've seen little movement on this matter over a number of years, but we expect our representatives to demand more.
