At its October 28 meeting, Sarnia City Council debated and ultimately voted down a proposal to reallocate $400,000 in provincial funding originally designated for affordable housing to the Wellington Street Extension project. The funding, provided through the Ontario Building Faster Fund, was initially allocated to support housing initiatives in Sarnia.
The reallocation proposal, presented by City Treasurer Kristen McGill, recommended that Council apply the funds to the Wellington Street Extension, an infrastructure project intended to support future housing development in the area. Applying the funding for an active project, such as the Wellington Street
Extension, will reduce the need to draw from discretionary reserve funds, allowing those reserves to be available for future projects," noted McGill, adding that the extension meets the province’s eligibility criteria for the Building Faster Fund.
Councillor Brian White questioned why funds allocated for housing would be redirected to a road project, suggesting that the Kathleen Street housing project could benefit more directly from the funding. “If we were to hand this money over to the county for [Kathleen Street], I believe it would have a significant impact on moving that along.” White said, adding, “It just seems odd to me that if this is meant for affordable housing, we would put it into a road.”
Councillor Terry Burrell responded by noting that housing projects at the county level are typically funded by federal or provincial resources. “We don’t do county expenses,” Burrell stated, emphasizing the city’s role in focusing on land assemblies and services for housing rather than direct funding to county-managed housing.
In the final vote, Mayor Mike Bradley, along with Councillors Terry Burrell, Bill Dennis, and Chrissy McRoberts, supported reallocating the funds to the Wellington Street Extension. However, Councillors Brian White, Dave Boushy, George Vandenberg, Anne Marie Gillis, and Adam Kilner opposed the motion, resulting in its defeat with a 5-4 vote.
With the proposal declined, the $400,000 remains available for housing initiatives, as initially designated.