After sending last week’s email about a Team Canada housing stream for land-based prefabricated villages, I expanded one part of that argument into a deeper article: When did apartments become unaffordable?
You can read it here:
https://helpos.ca/c/grey-county-news/8246/when-did-apartments-stop-being-affordable
I wrote it because I kept hearing people speak as if apartments are naturally the affordable housing option. I understand why. For many years, when a house was too expensive, an apartment was the affordable alternative.
The pace of change in our society is now so fast that people often carry ideas they first heard when they were young, long after those ideas have expired. Hundreds of years ago, life changed slowly enough that an inherited assumption could remain useful for a lifetime. Today, resource depletion and the rising cost of basic life can shift things so quickly that something true in one generation may become false in the next.
The article was well received on Reddit. Housing affordability is about rebuilding the foundations of local life so people can have access to land, shelter, and meaningful work.
This week, Premier Doug Ford was also kind enough to share his letter to Team Canada. His letter helped clarify that the premiers are meeting through the Council of the Federation, chaired by Prince Edward Island Premier Rob Lantz, whom I had ironically forgotten to include in my last email.
Premier Ford also expressed concern about police officers being killed or wounded in the line of duty. I addressed that in a follow-up letter to the Council of the Federation, because I believe the deeper answer is rebuilding stable communities where people are supported earlier, less isolated, and less likely to fall into crisis.
You can read that follow-up letter here:
https://helpos.ca/c/advocacyemails/8398/letter-to-the-council-of-the-federation-a-path-beyond-develo
On the local campaign side, we also reached an important milestone this week: Thomas Arakal has agreed to join the team as our council candidate for Owen Sound East.
Thomas cares deeply about people. One of his motivations for running is that he understands the pressure many families are under, including people who work two or three jobs and still struggle to provide for their household. He understands that workers need fair contracts, fair compensation, and a City that respects the dignity of labour.
Thomas also has a strong understanding of unions and worker participation, which will be very important as we think through how neighbours can be properly compensated for helping with municipal upkeep. As residents participate more directly in caring for their own neighbourhoods, Owen Sound can gradually lower the pressure on centralized staffing and property taxes while creating a transition that honours workers, residents, and taxpayers together.
On Wednesday, Thomas shared something that stayed with me. He said that everyone knows the easiest way to lower property taxes is to cut jobs, and the concern is what happens next for those workers and their families.
That is exactly why our transition has to be humane, practical, and respectful. Instead of simply offering a worker six months of severance and leaving them to face the same broken housing market, we could offer a down payment toward a yurt hamlet retirement pathway: secure housing, food, and community that can sustain them for the rest of their lives while respecting their dignity and years of service.
This is the kind of conversation I want our campaign to bring forward: honest about costs, compassionate toward workers, and focused on solutions that protect both taxpayers and families.
You can see our current team page here:
We also had encouraging movement in Owen Sound Central this week. James OS Auditing has agreed to serve as a village leader for Owen Sound Central, and I met again with Jasmine Schnarr, who is considering either running for council or serving as a village leader there as well.
Village leaders are an important part of the Local Help model. They are meant to be nearby, practical points of contact who can listen to residents, help identify local issues, and connect people with the right next step. As this grows, my hope is that every part of Owen Sound will have people rooted in their own neighbourhood who can help residents feel heard and supported close to home.
I also have another appointment scheduled with another potential council candidate in the coming weeks, and I hope to record a video with Thomas soon so residents can hear directly from him.
Next, I am planning to begin knocking on doors in Owen Sound North West, historically known as Brooke. My hope is to meet people there, listen carefully, and find someone willing to run for council to represent this important community at City Hall.
Thank you again to everyone who is reading, encouraging, and helping this campaign grow. We are still early, and something real is beginning to take shape.
With love and respect,
Andrii Zvorygin
Candidate for Mayor of Owen Sound