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Sustainability Action Areas

Currently we have sustainability activities underway in the following areas: agricultural land and food security, community resiliency and well-being, emergency response and community preparedness, energy, health care, housing and multi-level seniors care, sustainable economics: community currency, transportation priorities and actions, and water. To see what each group is up to click on the individual topic.

Housing and Multi-Level Seniors' Complex

CONVENOR: Pat Maloney & Wild Iris Dragonwoman

PARTICIPANTS: Pat Maloney, Wild Iris Dragonwoman, Carol Boyce, Nancy Crozier, John Silverberg

YOUR BRILLIANT IDEAS:

(For example: What is currently happening to address the issue; what needs to be done; what are the most important things to do? Who needs to be involved?)

The environment is such that the population is aging, housing is more expensive, service industry people cannot afford to live here, young people are not attracted due to the cost of housing and the legislation is a bit restrictive.

Potential solutions include:

  • a multi level seniors complex that allows people to move there with little assistance and "graduate" to assisted living, extended care and full nursing home in the same complex
  • affordable housing options for the care givers, service industry workers and tradesmen including: secondary suites, staff accommodation, public or community housing, cooperative housing, floating homes and moved on homes.

Recognized that the island has an environmental carrying capacity but that the technology is improving and that may allow for more housing and increase the carrying capacity of the land.

In addition, the emphasis should be on sensitive or LEED type of development, using recycled materials, straw bale homes, and other construction forms.

We should be investigating the options for grants for landlords to create or improve rental housing. We should investigate more grants for seniors to convert their homes to make it easier for them to stay in their own homes longer.

The actions were many but it was clear that one of the legislative items was to ensure that the OCP includes direction and policies for a variety of housing types and the Zoning Bylaw be prepared to allow secondary suites and alternatives forms of housing.

Hope this helps. It was a great session, thanks to the organizers; I really want to keep involved in the process. Let me know what I can do to help.