Housing is not only about how many homes we approve. It is about whether people at different stages of life and different income levels can find a place in Port Hope that they can afford and that meets their needs.
That includes the senior who wants to remain in the community, the young adult trying to get started, the person with a disability who needs appropriate housing, the worker or professional moving here for a job, the family looking for its first home, and the person who simply needs somewhere safe to sleep.
I have been following housing conversations across Port Hope, Northumberland County, Canada and beyond. This crisis is not unique to us, and Port Hope cannot solve it alone. But jurisdiction cannot become an excuse for inaction.
Other communities are trying different models, removing barriers and building partnerships. We do not have to invent every solution from scratch. We do need to understand our own community.
Know what we have. Know who needs it. Identify the gaps. Bring the right people together. Measure what changes.
That is the approach I would bring to housing as Mayor.
Why I Have Paid Attention to Housing
Housing is not a new issue for me. I have attended meetings, followed discussions, listened to residents and continued to research the systems that affect housing. My understanding also comes from different sides of the housing equation. I have been a tenant. I am a homeowner and landlord. I am also a qualified real estate Broker of Record.
As an educator, I worked with young people with physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities. I met parents who carried a question that became more worrying as they grew older: “Where will my child live when I am no longer able to care for them?” I have never forgotten that question.
I have also examined housing through a human-rights lens. Ontario’s Human Rights Code protects equal treatment in housing, and housing providers can have a legal duty to accommodate Code-related needs to the point of undue hardship.
Housing is about more than buildings. It is about people, access, dignity and belonging. I also recognize that I would not be starting from zero. Municipal staff, administration, the Mayor and Council have already undertaken housing work and laid groundwork that deserves to be understood. I would come into office prepared to learn what has already been done, what is underway, what has worked and where gaps remain. I would bring my own housing vision and experience to that work, while collaborating with Council and staff to determine where that vision can complement, strengthen or improve what is already underway.
Leadership is not walking into a room assuming you have all the answers. It is understanding the work already done, bringing people together around what still needs to be accomplished and moving that work toward measurable results.
- What I Would Do as Mayor
I am running to serve as a full-time Mayor, fully dedicated to Port Hope. On housing, I would work collaboratively with Council and staff to build a shared, evidence-based understanding of our community’s needs: what housing we have, what is rental and what is ownership, what residents at different income levels can actually afford, what has been approved, what is being built and occupied, where the gaps are, and which barriers are within municipal control. Together, we should align decisions around clear community needs and measurable outcomes, use significant municipal lands and buildings strategically before considering their sale, and make it easier for residents to navigate housing and support systems that already exist rather than creating unnecessary duplication.
At the Northumberland County table, I would bring Port Hope’s documented needs forward actively and constructively. Housing and homelessness are major County responsibilities. I would work with County partners, seek clear Port Hope-specific information where available, advocate for an appropriate share of affordable, supportive and rent-geared-to-income housing investment, and take on County responsibilities, committee work and advocacy where doing so can benefit Port Hope.
I am offering residents a full-time Mayor, and I will give both the municipal and County responsibilities of that office the time and attention they deserve. I will not go to the County table simply to occupy a seat; I will go there to represent Port Hope, help build alignment around solutions and keep the focus on measurable results.
Affordable to Whom?
We use the words affordable housing constantly. My question is: Affordable to whom?
A senior on a fixed income? A young adult starting out? A working family? Someone receiving ODSP? A person with a disability? Someone experiencing homelessness?
I have been a tenant. I am a homeowner and landlord, and I am a qualified real estate Broker of Record. I also spent years as an educator working with young people with physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities.
I remember parents asking: “Where will my child live when I am no longer able to care for them?” I have never forgotten that question. Housing should fit the person. That means there cannot be one housing solution for everyone.
$611 Versus $1,577
As of July 2026, a single person receiving ODSP can receive up to $1,436 per month for basic needs and shelter combined. The maximum shelter component for one person is $611 per month.
CMHC’s latest primary rental market data reports an average Port Hope rent of approximately $1,577 per month.
That is approximately a $966 monthly difference.
So I ask: Where can that ODSP recipient realistically live in Port Hope? And which private landlord can sustainably provide a conventional apartment for $611 a month? Neither side can make that arithmetic disappear. This is where government policy, housing benefits, nonprofit and supportive housing, private rental supply and partnerships have to meet.
Affordability has to work on paper before it can work in someone’s life.
A Waiting List is Not a Housing Solution
Northumberland County’s 2025 housing numbers deserve our attention. 1,305 households were on the social housing waiting list. Only 60 households were housed from that list during the year. At the same time, 212 households moved from homelessness or temporary accommodation into permanent or long term housing through the broader housing and homelessness system.
Those numbers measure different things and should not be confused. They tell us, however, that people are being helped while substantial unmet need remains.
We need social and nonprofit housing. But we also need private rentals, portable housing benefits, supportive housing, Additional Residential Units, homelessness prevention and partnerships that increase supply.
A waiting list measures need. It should also create urgency.
What Are We Actually Building?
More housing supply matters. But I want us to go beyond announcing the number of units approved. Port Hope reports that building permits issued in 2025 included 76 apartment units, 27 single family homes, 18 town/condo units and 5 Additional Residential Units. During 2025, 40 new residential units were approved for occupancy, including seven ARUs.
Those numbers represent different stages in the development process. A permit is progress. But a permit is not yet somebody’s home.
Rental or Ownership, Shouldn’t We Know?
Current development proposals illustrate another important question. One large subdivision proposes 369 freehold homes: 326 detached houses and 43 townhouses. Another proposal on Croft Street would provide 108 rental apartments.
Both add supply. But they serve different housing needs.
When significant development comes before Council, I want us asking more than how many units. I also want to know how many are ownership, rental, genuinely affordable, accessible or supportive housing, and how many approved units actually get built and occupied.
Housing supply answers how many. Housing policy must also answer: for whom?
Housing is Economic Development, Too
Housing is not separate from economic development. Our restaurants, shops, manufacturers, health services, construction companies, care providers, schools, professional offices, public services and small businesses all need people to work for them.
But attracting a worker to Port Hope is only part of the equation. Where are they going to live?
Not every nurse, tradesperson, teacher, personal support worker, young professional, hospitality worker or new employee is ready to purchase a house when they arrive. Some need an apartment. Some need a modest starter home. Some need temporary rental housing while they decide whether Port Hope will become home.
If businesses cannot recruit or retain employees because workers cannot find suitable housing, housing becomes an economic development problem too. Major regional investments make this conversation even more important. With significant nuclear sector development occurring in our region, including OPG’s Darlington New Nuclear Project, communities like Port Hope should be thinking ahead about workforce housing. Not everyone arriving for employment will immediately purchase a house.
When we celebrate economic investment and new employment, we should also be planning for where the people filling those jobs will live. A strong economy needs workers. Workers need somewhere to live.
From Renting to Owning: Where is the Pathway?
Some people have rented for ten, twenty or thirty years. They have consistently paid for housing and may be able to manage a monthly housing payment, but have never accumulated the down payment necessary to own.
That is a question developers, financial institutions, nonprofit organizations and governments should be discussing together: Can we create more pathways from renting to owning? Rent to own arrangements are not appropriate for everyone and require careful financial and legal structures and strong consumer protections. But affordable ownership models deserve exploration.
Could developers partner with financial institutions or nonprofits? Could organizations such as Habitat for Humanity be part of the conversation? Could portions of future developments provide carefully structured pathways toward ownership?
I am not promising a municipal rent to own program. I am saying we should bring the people capable of creating these opportunities together and find out what is possible.
Seniors Housing: Affordable to Which Senior?
Port Hope needs more seniors housing. But not every senior retires with a workplace pension. Some worked in lower wage jobs. Some spent years caregiving. Some had interrupted employment. Some worked in jobs that provided no employer pension at all.
The Wellings development at 60 Henderson Street is adding significant 55+ rental supply. Earlier project affordability documentation projected a one bedroom starting around $1,999 per month, including a $450 monthly meal credit. That was a project estimate, not a guaranteed 2026 asking rent.
Port Hope also secured a minimum of five affordable units within the development. I welcome additional seniors housing choices. But five affordable units lead me to another question: Affordable at what income? What will those units cost? How will residents qualify? And what happens to the senior who cannot afford the remaining market rate housing?
Housing designed for seniors is not necessarily housing affordable to vulnerable seniors.
What happens to the senior who cannot afford private seniors housing and faces years waiting for income geared accommodation? Where does that senior live while waiting?
What Does it Actually Cost to Provide Rental Housing?
We also need an honest conversation about what creates rent. Tenants are under enormous financial pressure. There are irresponsible landlords, and tenants deserve protection from them. But describing every high rent as landlord greed does not explain the entire housing market.
Rental property owners can face financing costs, property taxes, insurance, construction and renovation costs, permits, repairs, maintenance, vacancies, accounting expenses and sometimes legal or paralegal expenses when a tenancy seriously breaks down. Rental income also has to be reported for income tax purposes.
That does not justify every rent being charged.
Affordability has two sides: what a tenant can afford to pay and what housing costs to provide. Public policy has to confront both.
Property Taxes are Part of that Equation
Property taxes are one of those housing costs. I checked Port Hope’s published 2026 rates carefully because I believe residents deserve accurate numbers. For a 2026 urban residential property in Port Hope, the total property tax rate is 2.065866% of the MPAC assessed value.
That consists of 1.289947% for the Municipality of Port Hope, 0.622919% for Northumberland County, and 0.153000% for the education portion.
A house does not automatically move into a higher tax class simply because it is rented. MPAC determines property assessment and classification. Port Hope’s older multi residential class carries a higher 2026 urban rate, while qualifying new multi residential properties receive the same total rate as residential properties.
If we want genuinely affordable rental housing, we should understand every significant cost and every policy tool that affects its creation.
Institutions Have to be at the Table
Housing does not belong to one level of government. We need Northumberland County, the Province, the federal government, CMHC, financial institutions, insurers, developers, nonprofit housing providers, private landlords, tenants, health and social service providers, mental health, addiction and disability organizations, and people with lived experience. MPAC also has a role in property assessment.
A Mayor does not control ODSP, CMHC, MPAC, mortgage rules or Ontario’s landlord tenant legislation. But Mayor and Council can understand how those systems affect Port Hope, identify barriers within municipal control, work with the institutions responsible for the others, and advocate with evidence.
Leadership is not pretending every problem belongs to City Hall. It is knowing whose door to knock on and helping residents find the right door too.
Who is at the Decision-Making Table?
Professional expertise matters. So does lived experience. When housing policy is being discussed, I want us asking whether renters are being heard, along with people struggling with current rents, young adults trying to enter the housing market, seniors trying to downsize, people receiving ODSP, people with disabilities, small landlords, people who have experienced homelessness and people looking for supportive housing.
I am not suggesting that a Mayor, Councillor or municipal employee must personally experience every housing challenge before contributing to its solution. But the people affected by public decisions should have meaningful opportunities to inform them.
Good housing policy should not only be made for people. It should be made with them.
Maybe Some of Our Future Housing Already Exists
Not every additional home has to begin with an empty field and a bulldozer. Additional Residential Units can create housing within properties that already exist. But Port Hope reported only five ARU permits among its 2025 building permits. That makes me ask: What is stopping homeowners? Financing? Construction costs? Permits? Insurance? Property assessment? Taxes? Landlord responsibilities? Risk?
Instead of guessing, let us find out. If an unnecessary barrier belongs to Port Hope, examine it. If it belongs to another government or institution, take the evidence there.
Know What We Own Before We Sell It
Public property should also be part of our housing discussion. Port Hope recently completed its purchase of the former provincial MTO property at 138 Hope Street North. I do not believe every municipal building or parcel of land should become housing. But before significant municipal property is sold, I believe we should ask whether it could meet a long term community need: housing, community services, economic development, seniors, recreation, municipal operations, or a combination.
Know what we own before we decide what we no longer need.
Know Our Stock. Know the Need
Mayor and Council should have a clear picture of our housing stock and pipeline: rental units, ownership units, rents, vacancy, accessible units, seniors needs, supportive housing needs, subsidized housing waits, ARUs, approved housing, construction and actual occupancy.
We do not need to invade anyone’s privacy or duplicate Northumberland County’s work. We need good aggregated information and better use of information that already exists.
Know our stock. Know the need. Identify the gap. Then act.
What About the People We Don’t See?
Statistics will never capture everyone. What about the senior quietly spending most of a pension on housing? The adult with a disability living with aging parents because there is nowhere affordable to go? The young adult who has stopped believing ownership is possible? The family temporarily staying with relatives? The person sleeping on someone’s couch who may never appear in a homelessness count? The tenant one financial setback away from eviction? The person living with mental health or addiction challenges who needs housing and support?
Where are they in our housing plan?
I do not want the people we do not see to become the people we forget.
Build a Pathway, Not Another Bureaucracy
Port Hope should not duplicate Northumberland County’s housing department. But we can become much better at helping residents navigate the system.
I need housing. Where do I start? I am about to lose my housing. What assistance exists? I receive ODSP and cannot afford market rent. What programs might help? I need accessible or supportive housing. Where do I go? I want to create a legal apartment. What permits, financing, insurance and programs should I understand? I am a landlord or tenant facing a serious dispute. Where can I obtain reliable information or appropriate assistance before the problem becomes more costly?
Municipal leadership does not mean administering every program. Understand the system. Map the pathway. Connect people to the right services.
Preventing Homelessness is Housing Policy, Too
We understandably focus on creating homes. But another outcome matters: Did somebody keep the home they already had? Preventing an avoidable eviction can mean one fewer household entering an already strained homelessness system. So let us measure prevention alongside construction.
Then Measure the Impact
We can hold meetings. We can commission reports. We can write strategies. Eventually Mayor and Council have to ask: What changed? Are more people housed? Are more people remaining housed? Is the waiting list declining? Are rental units increasing? Are ARUs becoming occupied homes? Are vulnerable seniors finding somewhere they can afford? Are people with disabilities finding appropriate housing? Are we creating realistic pathways toward ownership? Can people who work in Port Hope afford to live in Port Hope? Did we identify barriers and actually remove any?
That is impact.
A report cannot keep a senior warm. A strategy cannot give a young family a key. A plan alone cannot give someone experiencing homelessness a safe place to sleep. The measure of housing policy is not how much government talks about housing. It is whether people’s housing circumstances actually improve.
Let’s Get People Indoors
I will not tell residents that one Mayor can solve Canada’s housing crisis. I am offering something more realistic: a full-time Mayor who will listen, learn, collaborate, ask difficult questions, understand the numbers, respect the work already underway, bring people together, advocate for Port Hope at the County table and measure whether our efforts are actually producing results.
Because behind every housing statistic is a person.
And I don’t want the people we don’t see to become the people we forget.
Know our stock. Know the need. Identify the gap. Then act.
Let’s get people indoors.
Let’s Continue the Conversation
I know not every Facebook group welcomes political or campaign material, and I respect that.
But if you believe this housing discussion is worth having, please share this post with your friends, neighbours and networks where appropriate.
I also invite you to join:
Eyes on Our Community – Port Hope on Facebook, and follow Angela in Port Hope as we continue these conversations. I welcome your experiences, ideas and respectful disagreement.
Your Voice. I’m Listening.
Angela Grogan
Mayoral Candidate
Municipality of Port Hope
DISCLAIMER
Candidate commentary based on my research, experience and publicly available information.
