Next council urged to reassess growth forecasts

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By John Miner

South Huron councillor Wendy McLeod-Haggitt has some advice for the next municipal council regarding development.

Addressing a recent council meeting, McLeod-Haggitt said she has concerns about the current provincial direction, particularly through legislation such as the Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act, Bill 98.

The thrust of the legislation to accelerate housing development is disconnected from the market conditions that are being experienced in South Huron, she said.

“At present, we are seeing new housing supply coming online that is not being absorbed at the expected pace, completed or near-completed homes remaining on the market longer than anticipated, increased anecdotal evidence of financial strain within the development sector, including multiple power of sale situations reported locally.”

At the same time, the municipality of South Huron is going ahead with significant capital infrastructure projects, particularly water and wastewater expansion, to support projected growth.

The situation raises the important question of whether the timing of infrastructure investments is aligned with actual market demand, McLeod-Haggitt said.

“In some cases, we may be advancing capital spending ahead of demonstrated needs, committing municipal funds to infrastructure that is not completely utilized, and increasing financial exposure at a time of economic uncertainty.”

McLeod-Haggitt said she is not questioning the need for growth or for infrastructure, but suggested council might need to start considering whether to defer or phase projects where demand is not yet evident.

For the next municipal council that will take over after the October elections, McLeod-Haggitt suggested that early in their term they should undertake a comprehensive review of capital spending priorities.

The new council should reassess the long-term growth forecasts in light of changing economic conditions and ensure that infrastructure investment is closely tied to verified demand rather than projected targets alone.

“In the current environment it is worth recognizing that putting pipes in the ground does not automatically result in housing uptake,” she said.

Responding to McLeod-Haggitt, Coun. Aaron Neeb questioned staff if there were instances of developers looking elsewhere in the past because there wasn’t infrastructure to support their project.

Mike Rolph, building and planning services director, said there have been inquiries from developers for specific lands that are within South Huron’s settlement areas, but do not have available infrastructure at this time.