The Ontario government and City of Ottawa announced a housing project in the west end of that city that could be a good idea to re-purpose here in South Dundas to help address affordable housing. The city and province are partnering with Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa to build 33 townhouses off Woodroffe Avenue near Algonquin College. Once built, the modular townhouses, all of which will offer three or four bedrooms, will be sold via the successful housing model that Habitat for Humanity has followed for decades.
The partnership includes $3 million from the city, an additional $3 million the city has already been given by the province through the Building Faster Fund, and the property. The province is adding $3.3 million more to the pot to get this project going. According to the announcement, the successful homebuyers will have zero down payment, and mortgage payments geared to income. The site is already being prepped for construction and home-sale applications are expected to open in early 2026. It may seem like a lot of fuss for adding only 33 townhomes in a city of one million, but this different approach to housing could be adapted to many rural communities.
South Dundas has worked with the province, SDG Counties and the City of Cornwall to get the expansion of Morris Glen Court completed. That opened earlier this year, adding 17 housing units to the much-needed community-housing stock. That project was funded by Cornwall, which operates community-housing for SDG Counties through the Shared Services Agreement. Cornwall’s housing department has many priorities and now that this first phase of expansion at Morris Glen is completed, other projects are in line for their turn. But the affordable housing needs in South Dundas should not take a back burner. This is why the partnership between the province, Ottawa, and their local chapter of Habitat for Humanity is a unique idea that could help.
South Dundas has already identified several parcels of land that could be used for community housing. This includes a parcel on the west end of Iroquois and one by Seaway District High School. A community meeting to get residents’ views on using surplus lands has fallen off the calendar of South Dundas council. Absent of other uses, this may be part of a solution to address housing affordability that is not just subsidizing rent or waiting for our turn with Cornwall. Habitat for Humanity Seaway Valley has a long record of successful builds in South Dundas, the province has a home-construction priority, South Dundas has vacant and surplus land, and our community has a growing need for affordable housing. It will not solve all our housing issues, but this may be a catalyst for more solutions. All ideas are welcome.
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