An official with a town in southeastern Saskatchewan says its plan to offer $30,000 cheques to anyone building homes in the community is paying off.
Moosomin, located about 230 kilometres east of Regina, announced the cash initiative in August to attract development to the community in desperate need of housing.
Casey McCormac, a town economic development officer, says the program has resulted in a flurry of construction, including two 12-unit apartment complexes and a six-unit building. Building permits have also been issued for two houses and a basement suite.
“I think it’s really cool,” McCormac said.
“It definitely shows that Moosomin was in need of this grant to help accelerate our housing needs, and it shows that people want to move to Moosomin and that there is a shortage of housing.”
Moosomin received $1 million from the federal government’s housing accelerator fund for its program. The town gives builders $30,000 for the first new unit plus $8,000 per additional unit for multi-unit housing on the same property. Builders receive the money once occupancy permits are issued.
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McCormac said the federal funding program was flexible and the town wanted to try something different.
“We thought it was a good incentive and were hoping it would make headlines, which it obviously did,” she said.
“We had to hit three units in order to continue our funding and we have building permits for 33.”
McCormac said the housing market has been tight in the town of 2,600. Homes are snapped up quickly and rental options are few.
Moosomin is a smaller hub in the region, with a hospital and other services, she added.
“I think more and more people are looking to live in smaller towns because of the cost of living or because of the job opportunities,” McCormac said, adding Nutrien Ltd.’s Rocanville potash mine is nearby.
“Moosomin is 25 minutes (drive) away from the potash mine, which is a big employer. We do have a lot of different industries that are employing people.”
McCormac said the town would utilize the program again should it become available in the future. She said 10 more units remain eligible for funding.
“We do need a lot more housing,” she said.
“Council has actually spoken about potentially putting in some sort of incentive, not necessarily $30,000, but some sort of incentive for residential buildings because we need more.”
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