Over the last several weeks, I’ve been knocking on doors to talk directly with residents about the issues that are most important to them in this election. One issue that’s been top of mind is development.

Niagara’s growth estimates are actually set by the Provincial government. Subsequently planners at the Town and Region are required to accommodate for growth numbers into land planning policies. Across Niagara, the population is expected to grow to 694,000 people by 2051, up from our current population of 477,000 people. For Pelham, our growth projections equate to just under 29,000 people.

Both levels of municipal government will have an important role in helping to identify where that growth takes place. For the Region, this has recently been defined with our new official plan. The majority of growth in Niagara will be channeled into urban centres in St. Catharines, Welland and Niagara Falls. These areas will most likely see higher density development occur.

For Pelham, the majority of development will occur along Pelham’s eastern border with Thorold and Welland, or the Rice Road corridor. This stretch has already seen some significant growth and infrastructure development. And while the development in this area has helped supply Pelham with some much-needed housing, the increase in traffic flow has created an urgent need for traffic calming measures to ensure greater safety for residents in the area.

The Region has also approved the redevelopment of two long term care facilities, namely Linhaven in St. Catharines and Gilmore Lodge in Fort Erie, which will have a range of housing types on site to help residents transition from independent living to higher care needs. This will help provide more housing options for seniors who are looking to downsize or need more daily support.

Development overall does not have to be a “bad” thing. We have a significant housing supply challenge right now that is preventing our seniors from downsizing or new entry homeowners, such as young families, from purchasing their first home. As a result, most have had to look outside of Pelham for housing options. The challenge is to expand our housing supply while keeping our small-town feel. For me this means channeling the bulk of growth into new areas, such as Rice Road, while preserving some of our smaller neighborhoods from expansion or infilling that could drastically change the nature of our communities.

The next four years will be pivotal in shaping Pelham’s growth and adaptation to the Provincial population targets. I encourage you to help shape that growth by keeping in touch with your political representatives, at the Town and Region, and also take part in any public information centres that are informing policy directives.

For more information on my candidacy or my campaign, please visit huson4pelham.ca.