Social housing issues require ‘all hands on deck’

In a Facebook post to my group, Elected by You – North Bay, regarding the pending eviction of residents at Westwind Village I asked a number of questions.  I had complained that neither DNSSAB Chair, Mark King nor PHARA CEO, Mike van der Vlist had responded to me, but apparently I was just too impatient as they both contacted me subsequently.

I’m not sure I am any the wiser as to how this situation developed, but one thing is clear…the tenants are going to pay the price for the extremely slow pace of identifying and rectifying the issue.

I was curious how the price could have escalated from $509K in Dec 2024 to $7.9M in March 2025 and then $8.4M most recently in August of 2025.  It turns out the $509K figure was in relation to repairing the then 4 uninhabited units, and then in the fall of 2024, a cost estimate was prepared and the investigation revealed that the entire complex would need repairs.  A subsequent more detailed cost estimate in the summer upped the figure to $8.4M.

Mr. van der Vlist assured me there had been no indication of any problem until the fall of 2024 when water penetration revealed the issues that led to the repair order and subsequent eviction notice to accommodate repairs.   The complex is on the books for a $4.7M cost in 1978 with a $1.2M mortgage remaining as of Dec 2023, but there is no estimate as to its current value.  As the size of the repair bill became known, the question of building new or repairing was considered, but a new 17 unit building in Blenheim ON just completed cost $10M and does not include the demolition costs that would be incurred if the 122 Massey location were used or the land costs if another location was selected.  DNSSAB Chair Mark King favours building new.

DNSSAB has been inheriting some of the housing stock created by the housing policies of the 1970’s and the maintenance issues that accompany fifty year old buildings.  The KPMG review has identified a number of areas where DNSSAB’s performance can improve and although the organization is still digesting the wealth of information provided, it would be beneficial to all if an implementation plan, similar to the city’s, could be developed and published.

Regardless of whether or not the rebuild or repair option is selected, the disruption to the tenants is going to be far greater than if the problem had been detected earlier and timely repairs made to prevent such a catastrophic effect.  The organizational review of DNSSAB by KPMG has identified a lack of housing provider oversight and if relevant KPI’s can be established, as recommended, it can be demonstrated that proper maintenance is being carried out.  PHARA is an award winning organization and if their building can decline to the point where eviction is necessary, it can occur anywhere in the 21 housing providers that DNSSAB administrates.

One of the factors swaying some to the idea of building new is the anticipated support from the federal housing program presently being developed by the federal government.  While this program is badly needed to rectify the need created by the imbalance between housing demand and supply, there is also a need to renovate the existing housing stock that is aging.  Unfortunately the main funding vehicle to assist in this area, the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI) has been declining for a number of years and is expected to decline further.

DNSSAB is going to need to up its game, according to KPMG, to ensure social housing is well maintained and properly administered and also enhance its advocacy efforts to obtain the proper funding for the district’s needs.

In the meantime, innovative solutions to tenants immediate housing issues are going to be needed from the community at large.  DNSSAB is actively looking for alternative housing for residents of Westwind Village, although no details are available currently.  All hands on deck!