Muskoka Housing Task Force

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Housing is a basic need for everyone.

The MHTF 2.0 is a dynamic group of community members, Municipal Councillors, and staff from the District and Muskoka’s Area Municipalities who are dedicated to supporting the creation and maintenance of affordable and attainable housing in Muskoka.

We are your neighbours, your community representatives, and your advocates for housing solutions.

What we do:

The MHTF 2.0 functions as an advisory body to the District and explores and recommend strategies and opportunities for a range of housing options across Muskoka. The MHTF 2.0 recognizes that solving the housing crisis will take multi-levels of government and community wide efforts - we cannot do this alone. Our role is to advocate and drive forward changes collaboratively. We believe in a community that includes housing for everyone.

With a focus on attainable housing, the Task Force mandate focuses on four areas:

  • Implementation and Demonstration: Undertake, facilitate, or support activities and projects that support the creation or maintenance of attainable housing in Muskoka, including seeking funding sources and participating directly in the delivery of policies, projects or programs that result in increasing housing supply or reducing barriers;
  • Foster Collaboration: Identify opportunities that support the development and maintenance of attainable housing through collaboration with the federal and provincial governments, area Municipalities, Muskoka residents, financial and housing development partners, as well as other businesses, agencies and institutions with an interest in the attainable housing needs of Muskoka residents;
  • Information Sharing and Outreach: Recommend to Community and Planning Services Committee (CPS), Muskoka District Council, area Municipal Councils and the wider public actions for implementation and advocacy related to attainable housing in Muskoka; and
  • Research and Evaluation: Update members’ knowledge and understanding of the planning and financial tools to support the maintenance of attainable housing, as well as policies and programs to encourage attainable housing development in Muskoka, based on emerging best practices and funding opportunities.

Our History

The MHTF was established in 2019 and took a hiatus in November of 2021. Muskoka District Council rejuvenated the group in the Spring of 2023 with Councillor Peter Kelley appointed as Chair. The inaugural meeting of the MHTF 2.0 was held on Thursday, September 28, 2023.

Follow our story and stay engaged in the conversation of Housing for Everyone. Subscribe to this page and you’ll receive newsletters right to your inbox!

Housing is a basic need for everyone.

The MHTF 2.0 is a dynamic group of community members, Municipal Councillors, and staff from the District and Muskoka’s Area Municipalities who are dedicated to supporting the creation and maintenance of affordable and attainable housing in Muskoka.

We are your neighbours, your community representatives, and your advocates for housing solutions.

What we do:

The MHTF 2.0 functions as an advisory body to the District and explores and recommend strategies and opportunities for a range of housing options across Muskoka. The MHTF 2.0 recognizes that solving the housing crisis will take multi-levels of government and community wide efforts - we cannot do this alone. Our role is to advocate and drive forward changes collaboratively. We believe in a community that includes housing for everyone.

With a focus on attainable housing, the Task Force mandate focuses on four areas:

  • Implementation and Demonstration: Undertake, facilitate, or support activities and projects that support the creation or maintenance of attainable housing in Muskoka, including seeking funding sources and participating directly in the delivery of policies, projects or programs that result in increasing housing supply or reducing barriers;
  • Foster Collaboration: Identify opportunities that support the development and maintenance of attainable housing through collaboration with the federal and provincial governments, area Municipalities, Muskoka residents, financial and housing development partners, as well as other businesses, agencies and institutions with an interest in the attainable housing needs of Muskoka residents;
  • Information Sharing and Outreach: Recommend to Community and Planning Services Committee (CPS), Muskoka District Council, area Municipal Councils and the wider public actions for implementation and advocacy related to attainable housing in Muskoka; and
  • Research and Evaluation: Update members’ knowledge and understanding of the planning and financial tools to support the maintenance of attainable housing, as well as policies and programs to encourage attainable housing development in Muskoka, based on emerging best practices and funding opportunities.

Our History

The MHTF was established in 2019 and took a hiatus in November of 2021. Muskoka District Council rejuvenated the group in the Spring of 2023 with Councillor Peter Kelley appointed as Chair. The inaugural meeting of the MHTF 2.0 was held on Thursday, September 28, 2023.

Follow our story and stay engaged in the conversation of Housing for Everyone. Subscribe to this page and you’ll receive newsletters right to your inbox!

  • RentSmart Certificate Program Now Available!

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    The RentSmart Certificate Course is being offered in partnership with the Muskoka Housing Task Force and Employment North. Through participating in the RentSmart Certificate Course, you will learn about:

    • Finding suitable housing;
    • Tenant rights and responsibilities;
    • Landlord responsibilities and expectations;
    • Maintenance do's and don'ts;
    • Communicating effectively with landlords, roommates, and
      neighbours; and
    • Budgeting and planning for affordable housing.

    At the completion of the course, you will receive a RentSmart Certificate which lets landlords know you are serious about being a responsible tenant.

    To obtain your certificate, you must attend the full course which is 6 sessions, 2 hours per session.

    The course runs from 10am-12pm on Tuesdays starting May 11 via the zoom platform. Course dates as follows: May 11, 18 & 25. June 1, 8 & 15.

    Course facilitators are Jennifer Tournour, Employment North and Mike Romaine, District of Muskoka.

    To register for the RentSmart Certificate Course please email Jennifer Tournour at jennifert@employmentnorth.com. The course is limited to 12 participants.

  • Market Rent Survey

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    The District is looking to better understand current market rental rates in Muskoka to help inform rental levels for affordable housing programs available through the District.

    We have launched an online Market Rent Survey for landlords and tenants in Muskoka to help collect this information.

    The Market Rent Survey is open until Friday, April 23, 2021, and is available at the following link:
    https://Online-forms.muskoka.on.ca/Housing/Affordable-Housing/Rent-Market-Survey

  • The District Municipality of Muskoka is looking for partnership opportunities for the Rapid Housing Initiative made available through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)

    Share The District Municipality of Muskoka is looking for partnership opportunities for the Rapid Housing Initiative made available through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) on Facebook Share The District Municipality of Muskoka is looking for partnership opportunities for the Rapid Housing Initiative made available through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) on Twitter Share The District Municipality of Muskoka is looking for partnership opportunities for the Rapid Housing Initiative made available through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) on Linkedin Email The District Municipality of Muskoka is looking for partnership opportunities for the Rapid Housing Initiative made available through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) link
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    The Government of Canada, through CMHC, has launched the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI). The RHI is a $1 billion program to help address the urgent housing needs of vulnerable Canadians, especially in the context of COVID-19, through the rapid construction of affordable housing.

    The District would like to submit an eligible RHI project proposal to CMHC and is interested in partnering with an applicant who meets one or more of the following criteria:

    • is a modular builder that can meet a rapid production timeline; or
    • owns land on municipal services that is (currently) zoned multi-residential and may be interested in selling the property; or
    • owns and may be interested in selling a building or structure that can be converted to a multi-residential project (i.e. commercial conversion to residential or uninhabitable residential property brought to property standards); or
    • owns a motel or hotel and may be interested in selling the property; or
    • has a shovel ready, multi-residential, modular development planned or in progress and may be interested in selling.

    If you meet any of the above criteria and would like to seek a potential partnership opportunity with the District, our team would like to connect with you! Please send us an email briefly outlining your interest and qualifications by 4:00 pm on Friday, December 4th, 2020.

    Email Contact: Danielle Morgan, Manager, Housing Development
    danielle.morgan@muskoka.on.ca

    For further details and program requirements regarding the RHI please visit the District’s website at: www.muskoka.on.ca/affordablehousing

  • Welcome to the Muskoka Housing Task Force News Feed!

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    Welcome to the Muskoka Housing Task Force News Feed!

    We are excited to launch this newsfeed to share information, stats and facts related to the housing landscape across Muskoka and the work being completed by the Muskoka Housing Task Force. We will also use this feed to help establish connections across our communities and work to create more opportunities for attainable housing throughout Muskoka. We want to keep you informed of what Muskoka is doing to ensure housing for everyone.

    You can stay informed of Task Force updates by subscribing to this page (look for the big megaphone on the upper right-hand corner of your screen or scroll down on a mobile device).

    Thank you for following along and connecting with us as we navigate opportunities to help increase housing for everyone in Muskoka.

Page last updated: 13 Feb 2024, 01:22 PM