The broader development process is addressed in Pillar 1. Specifically for housing, I will work with Council and City administration to:

• Complete and implement the Comprehensive Zoning By-law.
• Establish and publicly report against a clear timetable.
• Align zoning with the Official Plan and modern housing needs.
• Remove outdated barriers to appropriate forms of housing.
• Establish clear standards for additional residential units and small-scale multi-unit housing.
• Monitor housing approvals, construction and completions to identify which needs are being met and where gaps remain.
• Work with Lambton County, non-profit and supportive-housing providers, Indigenous partners and other organizations where the market is not meeting identified needs.

A faster path does not mean lowering standards or automatically approving every proposal. It means allowing appropriate housing to proceed efficiently under clear and consistent rules.

I will work with Council, housing providers, builders and residents to:

• Support a broader mix of homes, including detached houses, townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, apartments and additional residential units.
• Encourage accessible housing and options that support aging in place.
• Identify underused properties and buildings suitable for responsible residential or mixed-use redevelopment.
• Use municipal planning tools and incentives to support housing that responds to demonstrated needs.
• Review whether existing affordable-housing incentives are producing meaningful results.

Private development will provide much of Sarnia’s new housing, but it will not meet every need. Affordable, assisted and supportive housing must also be part of the mix. Lambton County leads housing services and homelessness programs, while the City can support projects through zoning, approvals, infrastructure, incentives and land-use decisions.

I will establish a Housing and Homelessness Action Group bringing together Lambton County, health-care providers, Indigenous partners, housing organizations, business, industry and community-service agencies. The group will support County-led plans, identify barriers, improve coordination and help appropriate projects move forward.

I will bring employers, labour, developers, housing providers, Lambton College, the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership, Lambton County and other partners together to:

• Identify housing shortages affecting workforce recruitment and retention.
• Integrate housing into Sarnia’s economic and workforce-development planning.
• Encourage partnerships that can bring needed rental and ownership housing to the market.
• Advocate for provincial and federal programs that address local workforce-housing needs.
• Ensure housing is considered when new investment and employment initiatives are pursued.

City Hall’s role is to understand community needs, remove avoidable municipal barriers and connect the partners capable of delivering housing.

Responsible intensification can make better use of infrastructure, support neighbourhood businesses and contribute to the revitalization of Downtown and Mitton Village. It must also account for servicing capacity, traffic, parking, building scale and neighbourhood impacts.

I will work with Council, City staff and community partners to:

• Identify corridors, commercial areas and underused properties suitable for additional housing or mixed-use redevelopment.
• Encourage residential development where it can support Downtown, Mitton Village, transit and existing services.
• Establish clear standards for building height, setbacks, transitions, parking, landscaping and access.
• Ensure public consultation meets statutory requirements and provides meaningful opportunities for input when proposals involve significant changes.
• Evaluate proposals based on infrastructure capacity and their effect on the surrounding area.

Responsible intensification means allowing growth where the location, infrastructure and surrounding community can support it—not approving greater density everywhere.

I will work with Council, City staff, developers, utilities and community partners to:

• Identify where existing infrastructure can support housing and where improvements are required.
• Align housing growth with infrastructure and capital plans.
• Phase larger developments so infrastructure and services are added as neighbourhoods grow.
• Ensure development contributes its appropriate share of growth-related costs.
• Pursue provincial, federal and developer funding to reduce pressure on existing taxpayers.
• Plan neighbourhoods with parks, transportation, services and complementary housing types.

Growth should strengthen Sarnia’s tax base and quality of life without leaving existing residents responsible for poorly planned development or infrastructure the City cannot afford to maintain.

• Establish and report against a timetable for completing and implementing the Comprehensive Zoning By-law.
• Identify outdated zoning provisions that unnecessarily restrict appropriate housing.
• Assess housing needs, municipal barriers and gaps in the housing mix.
• Identify locations where existing infrastructure can support responsible growth.
• Establish the Housing and Homelessness Action Group with clear priorities, responsibilities and measures of progress.
• Review whether affordable-housing incentives are producing meaningful results.
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• A modern zoning framework supporting more housing choices.
• More rental, ownership, family-sized, downsizing and accessible housing options.
• Better information about which housing needs are being met and where gaps remain.
• Appropriate new housing in suitable neighbourhoods and commercial areas.
• New growth coordinated with municipal infrastructure and services.
• Better alignment among housing, workforce and economic-development planning.
• Stronger City-County cooperation on affordable, assisted and supportive housing and homelessness.
• Public reporting that allows residents to judge whether progress is being made.

City Hall cannot solve Sarnia’s housing challenges alone. My commitment is to provide the leadership, coordination and accountability needed to help more of the housing Sarnia needs move from discussion to construction.