HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1974-06-13, Page 28cy
4_ PAGE 12A—GODERICH' SIiGnNAL-STAR, THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 1974
Housing Ontario „ '74
Will curb local home prices
Another In -Depth Article
BY BILL `bIMMIC1K
People buying 'houses in
Goderich*I ave yet to feel the ef-
"'fects of a report"tabled in the
Ontario` legislature Mav 27.
The report, titled Housing
Ontario 1974, makes five
general recommendations for
curbing rising prices of houses
in the province.
Goderich cannot ,be treated
so generally in this report as a
-buyer here faces a different
market than his counterpart in
Toronto Still, some ideas, if
implemented coetld help curb
prices in this area.
Lo al developers • maintain
that *t e Goderich market offers
house at prices ;, more
reasonable than in areas such
'as Toronto or even Kincardine.
These same £'levelopers
suggest land costs, which
average $7,000 per lot, can be
maintained at a reasonable
level if availability and com-
petition remain.
This thinking is parallel to
the government report's first
.recommendation that serviced
land must be put On the market
to* keep. -artificial shortages
from boosting prices.
Local realtor Bert Alexander
• said- in a Signal -Star story two
months ago that modestly'
priced houses in the $20.000 to
$25,000' price range are in big
demand. They 'are sold almost
as soon as they are. listed.
The report say existing
housing ., can be renovated to
meet demands of buyers who'•
want good housing but can't af-
ford new homes. Such buyers
can indeed remodel these
houses,,, to suit. their own needs.
Goderich seems to have been
aware of that suggestion before
!! it was made.
The town has an absence of
land speculators holding vast
tracts suitable for housing' con-
struction. The three major local
developers agreed, in a Signal-.
Star story April 25, that most
available land is owned or con-
trolled by • companies which
construct serviced lots and
build houses on them:
The report recommends that
the provincial government
should discourage land
speculators. This. action is now
in force as heavy taxes were
• levied on speculators in the
recent provincial budget.
Goderich may soon go into
the developing business as a
town. Such 'a move, if made
soon enough, would .discourage
speculators from trying to
manipulate land prices.
"Some members of town coun-
cil have broadly hinted that the
possibility of making more lots
available is being studied
seriously. 'Dave Gower,' town
Councillor and chairman of the
planning board, has been more
specific. '
r,1 During questioning about
possible provincial grants to
municipalities which made ser-
viced lots available to the
public, he said such lots would
be an alternative to land con-
trol4ed by the three major
developers' here.
Mr. Gower and other
knowledgeable sou , hav
suggested town -owned land in
the Industrial park could be
rezoned for this purpose.
The repot -to rges
municipalities to begin these
projects as an amendment to
the •Housing Development Act
will enable councils to buy and
hold land within town boun-
dories for housing develop-
ments. '
Private developers, who have'
long complained of government
inefficiency, should' be
delighted, that the report
recommends simplifying gover-
nment approval of sub-
, divisions.
At least 40 provincial and
municipal offices have to ap-
prove subdivisions , now. This
takes time, at least a year, and
often more.
Reduced approval time
would save money,, as
developers usually have to pay
interest on rnoney they have in-
vested in land. Costs are passed
to buyers.
A major . cause' of high
housing cost is avgided in the
government report. Costs of
building materials have been
rising steadily in the last year.
The provincial government has
no authority, however, to curb
them, Ron Crown, manager of
Glenmark Lumber in Goderich,
explained.
Contractors are unable to tell
customers how much houses
will cost until they are built.
There has been a leveling of
prices for some materials but
Tourist organization
.Huron County involved
A. Time.. research ,and con-
siderable hard work creates
progress. This is exactly what
the ministry of industry and
tourism of Ontario has accom-
plished to improve the Tourist
Development Program for On-
tario:
One of the first of 12
Associations to be off'and run-
ning is the Southwestern On-
tario Travel Association,
covering the eight counties of
Elgin, ,Essex, Huron, . Kent,'
Lambton, Middlesex; Oxford,
and Perth. .
This Association for South-
. western Ontariois going to'
take the ministry's example of
time, research and hard work
to develop our area into one of
the -prime tourist regions in On-
tario. You"witl be seeinea lot
of us in the near , future....on
television..„on posters.....in
brochures....on, r•adio....in'
newspapers, or anywhere we
can promote tourism, See You!
You won't end our ocean
cruises listed in newspaper
travel sections.
Sure we got() some places you may dream Of Seung
some r13y Thr r,arihtjean Europe the Pac.if,r, This ran
becorne a realit ✓ fr,r 'nti as vols are trained to he part of a
tearnr,n'a r;ar dra'r Fnrces Destroy4r or Submarine on
exert tsPS or ori operatiorn,31 rnisSiOns
it S Nhat r( tkeS the Pr,rr,es such a very special team
of highl ✓ trained nahaciians wfi,rkinq together to help
Canada ,anti the World
There s a plane fr,r
this tearn nrlht nrm
See,..your military career
counsellor Goderich
Canada Manpower 3rd
Tuespy. of each month next
visit June 18', 1974 open
fro noon to 5:00 p.m.
(,r
GET.
INVOLVED
WITH THE
4
ARMED AN
FORCES.
steel and roofing materials con-
tinue to become more expen-..
sive.
Shingle prices, for -example.
were increased ,May 1, Mav 15,
June 1, and will go , up again .
June 17,
Mr. Crown noted that ccn-
struction. industry •officcial 'ex-
pect stabilization of material
costs by September.
Stabilization combined with
effective use of the Housing On-
tario '74 report ,would not•
lower housing costs but it could
keep them within reach of the
middle and lower income
buyers.
Developers will • have to
cooperate to make this possible.
The resort was the building in-
dustry has tended to concen-
trate on luxury family homes
and small -unit highrise apart-
ments`
While apartments and big
houses are built here, the three-
bedroom brick bungalow is still
available. Goderich does not
have 'a housing short.age.
'To continue this trend here,
and perhaps start it elsewhere,
the report urges all levels of
government, private companies
'and the general public to form
a partnership to meet 'housing
needs.
BE A
• BLOOD MIN
DONOR
a
Grad,
Mitch Moore, ion of Eve
Moore, graduated recently
from Mohawk College
majoring in- Business Ad-
ministration has accepted a
position with the Royal Bank,
Toronto.
' CAL I CO
l
2CHOOL.HOU8E
1 mile north of Kintail
on Highway 21 tit
CRAFTS-AN''TlQUES
JUNEMOURS:
FRIDAY TO MONDAY
12 NOON TO 6 P.M.
ESQUIRE RE$ TA URA NT
ON THE SQUARE, GODERICH
SPECIALIZING IN EXCELLENT
*CANADIAN And * .
CHINESE DISHES
Can 524,;-2-242
For Takeout
CANADIANA QUALITY. HOMES
Huron County Rbpresentative
P.S.. MacEwan - 524-9531
Goderich
•
- ' 'AANADIANA MODULAR. HOMES LIMITED
lir 10 Main Street South? P.O.. ox 650
Woterdown, Ont Tel (416) 689.6687
' ONLY, $500 Down
Erected on your foundotiop in
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ALL HOMES complete with
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NAME
ADDRESS
PHONE
1 OWN A LOT Y,ES. H NO L
Please send information on your fully serviced subdivision and model homes
at Mitchell, Ontario, (Near. Strotford) YES ,fl NO L_J GSS 915
OA VI,SI'T
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520 Wellington Street
L'Ondon, Ontario 679-5110 v°
.Weekdays 8 a.m. - 4 pm.
Thursdays 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
ELECTHOHOME
I11
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Croyden
23”''
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BRETON 23"
BLACK & WHITE
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All new,. and aII Solid
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,where you go, from A.C.
home outlet to a D.C.
source, such as a .car or
boat.
GRANGER'S TY
SALES & -SERVICE
92 SOUTH ST.
Ik-
GODERICH PHONE 524-8925
U
Gaunt says Ontario
9government games make
farmers' lot difficult.
M iiriberal ,*Agriculture ' Critic
'rav Gaunt (M.P.P., Huron -
Bruce). t day accused the
Provincial Minister of
Agriculture of playing political.
games and blaming the Federal
Governrrient for the . problems
of Ontario's farmers.
"Our farmers need 'some
assurance that increased
liroduction will not lead to
short • term surpluses;; .which
ruin prices and \force them into
bankruptcy", said Mr. Gaunt.
"The Minister cif Agriculture
has a great tendency to wash
his hands of the farrrters'
problems, putting the blame on
Ottawa. This kind of political'
buck -passing game' has been a
favourite with the Ontario
Government for far too long.'
The problems of our
agriculture industry can only
be `solved if the federal and
provincial governments co-
operate with lone another,
regardless of political af-
filiations." .
"Farmers will, not continue
ONLY /S WHAT WE
E,
US`FROM F/NEST
WIRE TO ELECTRICAL
FUSE
BUDD KUEHL
at
HURON PINES
ELECTRIC
86 Kinp St.
Clinton
Phone
482-7901 •
/to invest money in new
machinery, more land, and
other expensive inputs
necessary to increase vital food
production, if they have no
protection against today's un-
certain prices, he said. "Some
form of income stabilization
scheme for the agriculture in-
dustry is urgently needed.
Programmes to stabilize actual
prices have not proved suc-
cessful in the past. We need an
effective income stabilization
scheme on a nation-wide basis,
with farmer', provincial gover-
nments contribute also, but the
Provincial Minister of
Agriculture ., continues to
remain strangely silent on this
subject", he said. "This is not
the time for sitting on the fence.
Tlie Minister should indicate
without delay whether he -is ac-
tively supporting such a
scheme. If he' thinks income
stabilization for the agriculture
industry is not the answer to
the problems of Ontario's far-
mers, what alternative solution
does he have in mind?"
Residential Lighting Misplay
Oxidic Malting
"INDUSTRIAL -- COMMERCIAL"
RESIDENTIAL -- WiRING
CUSTOM TRENCHING
GRAHAM ELECTRIC
62 CAMBRIA RD. N GODERICH - 524-8670
Stay where you're
to, till I
see's whore
you're at.
•r,
THE
If you want
Newfie products
Cortise to where
it's at!
VILLAGE 'STQRE-
, RR 4, GODERICH (SALTFORD)
HWY. ,421 - TURN AT BRIDGE
Salt Cod, Fresh Cod, S ltmeat
Candy, Biscuits, Seal meat.
Salt Pork, etc.
It's some good!
The
Coffee Cart
Now Under New Management
•
If we can help • you
with coffee, snacks, etc.
call Harold Leddy
524-7237
SHOPPE
GODERICH
OPEN FRIDAY NIGHT TH. 9 I.M.