The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Efforts to meet the demand for housing in northern Saskatchewan were the focus of the 2013 Northern Housing Summit held this week in Prince Albert. Presented by New North _ Saskatchewan Association of Northern Services Inc. and Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, the summit engaged participants in identifying housing challenges and solutions specific to the North. 'The summit's theme, Planning and Partnerships for Progress, is most appropriate because planning and partnerships go hand in hand when it comes to addressing Saskatchewan's housing challenges,' Carrot River MLA Fred Bradshaw said on behalf of Social Services Minister and Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation June Draude. Bradshaw cited a need for 'a range of responses to meet the differing needs of communities across the province, including the North.' He hoped the two-day summit, which concluded yesterday after The Reminder went to press, would lead to 'a workable blueprint to improve housing in the North.' The summit was to bring northerners together with housing sector representatives to explore northern housing topics, needs and issues, and identify solutions through partnerships and planning. Agenda topics included community plans and land use planning, local housing action plans, financing for home ownership or rental projects and the state of housing in Canada. It was hoped discussions would contribute to the province's eight-year housing strategy with achievable plans for improving housing in the vast northern part of the province. Al Loke, CEO of New North Saskatchewan Association of Northern Services Inc., said northern Saskatchewan is 'a unique place' that needs 'unique solutions' to housing issues. In terms of Creighton and Denare Beach, a common housing concern relates to a lack of seniors housing. There are also concerns over how the province is running its existing seniors housing. Next year, for instance, rent at government-owned seniors housing facilities in Creighton, Denare Beach and the rest of Saskatchewan will rise slightly. Saskatchewan seniors who live in government housing currently pay 27-29 per cent of their household income as rent, up to a maximum amount. Next year, that number will rise to a uniform 30 per cent of income across the province, with the change taking effect in Creighton and Denare Beach on Feb. 1, 2014. During a meeting with seniors at the Creighton Heritage Manor last month, MLA Doyle Vermette, an opposition New Democrat, vowed to fight that plan. Dianne Baird, executive director of the provincial government's Housing Network, said the increase will be minimal. She said 91 per cent of senior tenants in Creighton, Denare Beach, La Ronge and Air Ronge will pay less than $25 a month in additional rent. Baird said the figure of 30 per cent lines up with the national standard on housing affordability, and that the old system of different percentages caused confusion. In terms of overall rent, she said only five seniors in Creighton and three other aforementioned northern communities pay more than $900 a month. Province-wide, rents at government-owned seniors' housing facilities will be capped at $960 a month for a one-bedroom suite and $1,360 for a two-bedroom suite. Creighton, Denare Beach, La Ronge and Air Ronge together have about 150 government housing units for seniors and non-seniors. _ Compiled from a Government of Saskatchewan news release, with files from The Reminder
