Part of the reason why I have been so quiet here is I have been busy working on a submission for the Hunter Prize which is provided by the Hub.ca. Ten finalists were selected from over 300 applicants, with each finalist asked to craft an Op-Ed and a longer research essay.

It was an honour to be a finalist! If you are interested in the Housing Crisis and want to read about some innovating solutions you can read all 10 finalists below. Note: The Hub will try and get you to register a subscription after 3 or 4 articles. They currently have a 3 month free trail running (at time of writing) so you can sign up and read all of the great ideas!

• Ben Dachis, a vice president of research and policy, for a proposal to utilise a different model of infrastructure financing to lower housing costs
• Chinonso Obeta, a policy analyst, for a proposal to tackle the financialization of housing
• Davis Kyle, a procurement and contract specialist, for a proposal to reform zoning regulations at the provincial level
• Frazier Fathers, a non-profit consultant, for a proposal to reform Committees of Adjustment
• Kristina Kulikow, a financial analyst, for a proposal to increase housing supply through land value tax reform
• Luhan Yao, a recent university graduate, for a proposal to encourage below-market rental options through tax incentives
• Phillippe Fournier, an architect, for a proposal to upend municipal zoning rules
• Rielly Young, a software engineer, for a proposal to develop a commercial-to-residential incentive
• Rui Tang, a graduate student at the University of Toronto, along with co-author Kexin Cui, for a proposal to transform single-family homes into multi-unit properties
• Stephanie Cantlay, an urban planner, along with co-author Nicholas Kuhl, for a proposal to reform municipal financing mechanisms to allow for more affordable housing

What’s Next?

First I am largely off social media unless you count posting pictures of Izzy!

So you will need to check back here to see when I post things or sign up for an email when a post goes live in the sidebar!

Another thing that I have been working on are two taskforces – The City of Windsor Development Charge Taskforce and the Town of Essex Housing Affordability Taskforce. I will be sharing my thoughts on both of these Taskforces in the near future, some sooner than later!

Council Conversations is coming back for Season 8– first wave of requests for conversations have gone out and hopefully recording happens in November. For the first time I am putting a “theme” of sorts on the season with – building community wealth in communities being part of the conversation.

Beyond this – Essex County has dropped its draft budget, I might find some time to dig in on that. We will see how things go!