PRIORITIZE • FOCUS • ACTION • RESULT

Priority
Issues

Issues for the incoming Council.

Key Priority Issues

PRIORITY: HIGH

Kenricia Hotel Redevelopment

Expropriation is complete with date for possession expected this Fall. The new council will need to assess any potential proposals received through the open RFP (request for proposals) process currently underway. We can realistically expect one or two proposals. Administration will conduct a dialogue with the proponents to evaluate their proposal(s) and make a recommendation to the new council, likely sometime in November. The city is entirely invested in this project as it is a focal point of the downtown, with its success being a very important part of downtown revitalization. We must succeed.

PRIORITY: URGENT

2027 Budget

Every year the budget is assembled, reviewed and presented to council for approval. There are often a few iterations following questions from councillors before arriving at the approved budget. Almost 80% of the budget is non-discretionary. This means that the budget estimate comes from outside city administration. Non-discretionary items include the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police), KDSB (Kenora District Services Board), NWHU (Northwestern Health Unit) and Pinecrest. While the remainder is termed discretionary, many services are essential to the city that must be funded. In the end, spending is largely locked in, aside from cost of living and inflation increases. Council has a few options open to it that can affect tax rates over the mid to long term.

The strategies are

Reduce costs
Maintain status quo
Increase revenue.

In the short term my preference is to maintain the status quo.

The longer term strategy is to;

1. Ensure money is spent wisely through operational audits, service review and holding discretionary increases to a minimum.

2. Work on funding the infrastructure deficit to prepare for the coming influx of people and businesses.

3. Leverage the Campus of Care development for additional economic development in the city (see the section on economic development).

PRIORITY: CRISIS

HOUSING

The current housing crisis is documented in the 2025 Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) conducted by Tim Welch Consulting Inc. This assessment identified a current shortage of 1,620 units (2025), forecasted to increase to 2,500 units by 2031. A variety of statistics were compiled to identify what type of housing is required, typical rental rates and purchase prices. It provided an in-depth look at the unhoused in our community. In short, this assessment provides the information necessary to develop a plan and made 13 recommendations to address the crisis. I have heard from numerous organizations, institutions, developers and community members that housing is the greatest barrier to development in Kenora. This barrier can be turned into an asset through a crisis level response involving community developers, construction contractors, funding agencies and city planners. I will champion the following action items in priority order.

Utilize the information from the 2025 HNA as the basis for the crisis plan. Updating the information is a low-value exercise.
Expedite development of the Campus of Care residential component. This area will have funder attention, city infrastructure, and has available land identified for this purpose. Let’s not delay. Get the residences built concurrent with the Wiigwas Care Home construction.
Identify vacant lots in Kenora.

First, identify vacant serviced lots that are available for building. Property owners will be canvased and asked if they plan on developing, selling or sitting on their properties. They can be connected to pre-approved contractors or developers capable of building on these properties. Consideration will be given to reducing or eliminating building and service connection fees.

Second, identify vacant un-serviced areas in the city limits that can be developed for housing. Owners will be canvased to see what their plans are for this land. City Engineers can be tasked with assessing infrastructure necessary for servicing. Funding can be applied for from the numerous programs currently available.

The city can review and prioritize these properties in the new Official Plan and Zoning By-law to be updated in 2027.

4. Building Department

This department must evolve to become a service-oriented organization. This means that construction will be the focus of the department rather than compliance. Turnaround time for permit and design approvals must be reduced to allow for timely construction. Template designs for pre-approved, standard foundations and structures (houses) should be made available to constructors to improve timelines for approvals. Inspections must be streamlined with proponent led electronic inspections wherever possible. While adherence to the Ontario Building code is necessary, there are many ways to ensure buildings are constructed to code while supporting a construction schedule. Develop an assessment and tracking tool to allow the department to assess their improvements in real time.

5. Leverage CMHC (Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation) financing for first time and low-income housing developments. The city should develop a step-by-step, easy to understand pathway for first time entrants into the housing market and provide guidance to ensure success in building, purchasing and financing houses. Recent changes by major banks allow them to take on greater risk. This should also be leveraged to build more houses in Kenora.

6. Develop a relationship with RTM (ready-to-move-in) house builders. RTM house builders can provide a pre-approved, constructed house that can be placed on a foundation for a fast build. There are several of these types of builders nearby that can deliver houses to foundations constructed on empty serviced lots in Kenora. The city can provide a standard foundation design, corresponding RTM house design, and all approvals for a new build for vacant serviced lots in the city. Typically, this is most applicable to single family dwellings.

7. KDSB (Kenora District Services Board) has been working diligently to increase low-income housing stock over the past number of years. Direct discussions on how to reduce design, permitting and construction of multi-unit low-income housing stock will likely lead to reductions in timelines.

Many of these suggestions are present in the Tim Welch Consulting Inc. report on the Housing Needs Assessment. It provides a guide to proceed. The new Council needs to embrace this challenge and get more housing in Kenora.

Economic Development

We are at a unique point in time. Canada is embarking on a near-unprecedented period of growth predicated by our changing relationship with the United States. This has resulted in several funding programs that can be utilized for the Campus of Care development. Key funding programs such as the Federal – Building Communities Strong Fund (Community and Provincial Streams) are available for water, wastewater, road and bridges, recreational and community facilities funding. The city maintains a capital plan that can be aligned with these programs to develop the infrastructure necessary for the Campus of Care. Targeted funding programs such as Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program, Natural Infrastructure Fund, Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund, Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, and Federal – Invest in Canada Infrastructure Program Streams are also available. By combining funding streams from both the Federal and Provincial governments, the city can address some of its infrastructure needs.

In the longer term (3-5 years) new businesses will be targeted to locate on Main and Second streets to compliment redevelopment of the Kenricia Hotel. At least one additional Hotel and conference/event center will be targeted for the city. An additional industrial tenant will be targeted for the Jones Road industrial park.

The best way to get the city of Kenora out of the current infrastructure deficit is to grow population and industry. Increased revenue from additional businesses and users will provide additional funding. The time to leverage the current political climate is now. We must act as the opportunity can fade quickly.

Community Safety and Well Being Plan

The Community Safety and Well-Being Plan (CSWB Plan) is a comprehensive 10-year plan to address issues identified in Kenora. The Committee that built this plan consisted of a cross section of people from the municipality, City Council, business community, education sector, health sector, mental health sector, community/social services sector, representative of custodial services to children/youth, Police Services Board, local OPP detachment commander, judicial system and members at large. They are a group of well informed, well educated and experienced members of our community who have been working on the issues identified for years.

The Implementation Committee is a municipal committee volunteering to managing progress of the Plan implementation consisting of seven goals, seven interrelated priority areas, 15 recommendations and a total of 48 actions. A dashboard has been constructed as a visual tool to quickly see what progress is being made and identify areas where attention is required.

The implementation of this plan requires more attention. Coordination between the disparate groups of service providers seems ad hoc. There appears to be a lack of overall coordination of how the client population is being managed, affecting the efficacy of the entire system. The city can play a coordinating role in expediting implementation of the HART Hub patient tracking tool to have a common intake of clients and ensure they are getting the best overall care. The ultimate objective is to reduce the number of people on the street by providing an alternative that is better than what they are experiencing. This requires a combination of treatment, recovery, housing and employment. Some will recover and some will not. We must work with the ones who show an desire to recover.

The greatest opportunity is to manage all services towards the best intended outcomes and impact on the community.

Your Voice Matters

This platform evolves with your input. Connect with me to discuss Kenora's priorities.

EMAIL: kenoramichael@gmail.com