By Chad Ingram

Following a housing summit that took place in West Guilford on Oct. 18 Algonquin Highlands Mayor Carol Moffatt asked fellow county councillors if there was any interest in a county-created housing task force.

Moffatt noted there are a number of organizations working on the complex issue of more affordable housing in the community albeit sometimes in silos.

“I’m just looking for if there’s enough interest of the county councillors here today can we at a future meeting have some sort of conversation about what that would look like how it would operate who would be assigned to it” she said during a council meeting in late October.

There seemed to be enough interest for the issue to be discussed at a future meeting.

“I’m interested in having a subsequent conversation” said Minden Hills Mayor Brent Devolin adding “But the caveat is not to add another process or layer of bureaucracy.”

Dysart et al Deputy Mayor Patrick Kennedy said he thought it was important for any task force to have very specific goals.

“I’m supportive of it but I want to know what this thing’s going to look like” Kennedy said. “A task force to me is you’re given a specific challenge with a specific job to do with specific delivery expectations. And what is that? I don’t want another committee.”

Moffatt said she wasn’t thinking of a county-run committee but rather a county-facilitated process of establishing a more centralized platform for housing work to get done.

“Just how do we facilitate the existing work that is being done into one place?” she said.

Moffatt said she’d also like to see increased information-sharing between organizations and an improved housing section on the county’s website with better and more complete information for residents.