The Rainy River District Social Service Administration Board will be in charge of social housing here as of Jan. 1, Municipal Affairs and Housing minister Tony Clement announced Tuesday at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa.
“The province is determined to transfer an improved and more cost-effective social housing system to municipalities,” he told delegates, who included Fort Frances Mayor Glenn Witherspoon and Coun. Deane Cunningham.
“As you know, as part of the local service realignment, we plan to move responsibility for social housing to the local level,” he added.
On Jan. 1, the province’s public housing portfolio will be handed over “as is” to the municipal governments. Later, administration of non-profit and co-operative housing will be handed over to the DSSAB as the second stage.
Social housing will be added to the list of existing DSSAB responsibilities, including child care, land ambulance, and “Ontario Works.”
“This is part of the process of downloading . . . we will be ready,” said Rainy River Mayor Gordon Armstrong, one of several DSSAB members who already have attended workshops on social housing.
The ministry already sent a letter to DSSAB in mid-July, indicating that the responsibility for nominating candidates for the local housing authority’s board positions is now its responsibility.
With social housing, the local DSSAB will have taken on all programs expected to be handed over under the province’s local services realignment program.
But it also has the option to take on the delivery and administration of additional services–such as public health and homes for the aged–by evolving into an area services board (ASB).
“It’s up to municipal leaders to get together and make up their mind about that,” Mayor Armstrong noted.
The local DSSAB, and all other equivalent provincial social service boards, have until the end of March, 2002 to apply to become an ASB.
“Personally, I think that the sooner we do it and the sooner we take over our own affairs, the better,” said Mayor Armstrong, who admitted there’s a lot of frustration involved when dealing with several levels of government.
“Throughout the district there is duplication. If one board was looking at all the areas, everyone would have a better idea what is going on and who is doing what,” he argued.
So far, the only service board in Ontario pursuing an ASB is the Algoma DSSAB, which is comprised of 20 municipalities.
“We do have a consultant that is putting a proposal together to present to our municipalities,” Algoma DSSAB CAO David Court confirmed.
“We’d already done a lot of work on an area service board. We’ve already had many, many meetings and we’re heading down that road,” he remarked.
Court said the most difficult step was done in forming the DSSAB and taking on the first services such as child care and “Ontario Works.” The Algoma DSSAB is hoping save costs to the individual municipalities by including other optional programs as an ASB, including economic development.
“We’re going to see how it goes,” he said. “There’s so very much going on now, [and] it’s just one more, but the municipalities feel it is the road to take.”