Tiny Homes and Sleeping Cabins: Where I Stand
A resident recently sent me a series of questions about tiny homes, sleeping cabins and the Brookside proposal. I'm sharing my answers here because every resident deserves the same clarity on where I stand.
Before I dive in, I want to start with an important distinction. A "tiny home" and a "sleeping cabin" are not the same thing, not in how I think about them, and not in planning definitions or the building code.
Tiny Homes Northumberland was created as a chapter of Habitat for Humanity Northumberland as a housing solution, not a homelessness response. Additional dwelling units, granny flats, and secondary units are proven housing products we need to address affordability and the "missing middle." This initiative started around the same time the province updated its policies and building code to encourage this kind of housing mix. Habitat was also exploring it as a way to diversify their affordable housing strategy. I resigned from that committee when I became Deputy Mayor. Since then, the organization has evolved to look at how zoning across Northumberland can use secondary units to advance affordable housing. You can see this product in the newer phases of New Amherst and Tribute, for example. You can read more about what they're doing today here: Tiny Homes Northumberland. All of this to say, I believe it is important to note that Cobourg's zoning permitted garden suites and secondary units long before my time on Council.
That's quite different from the sleeping cabin model used in Waterloo and Peterborough. You're right that these are two different types of housing and shelter, and they fall under different policies. Now, to your questions:
1. Why did you support tiny homes and the sleeping-cabin concept for Cobourg?
I did not support the sleeping cabin concept when the feasibility study and governance model came back to Council. All of Council supported exploring the concept. In February 2023, I asked for deeper neighbourhood engagement, a feasibility study, and an analysis of the proposed governance model, and Council supported that. It came back to Council in April 2023. Based on those findings, the neighbourhood feedback, and my concerns about governance, sustainability, and safety, I did not support approving the project. This is all on the public record. What I did do was direct the Furnace Street lands to the County to look at housing that would complement the area. More recently, Council gave direction to work with Northumberland Workforce Housing to design a small build creating 4-6 units for working professionals looking for attainable rentals.
2. Looking back at Brookside, do you still believe a sleeping-cabin community would have been right?
No. All of Council voted against it in 2023. About a year later, Northumberland County also reported to the InterMunicipal Taskforce that this model isn't financially sustainable for the region.
3. Would you support a tiny-home or sleeping-cabin community on Town property today?
No, consistent with my answers above.
4. Would you require 24-hour staffing, security, washrooms, showers, case management and enforceable rules?
Not applicable, since my answer above is consistently no.
5. Where should such a facility be located, and should residents have a say before approval?
Yes, residents should always have a say. For example, I would have handled the creation of and engagement on 310 Division differently had I been at the County Council table. I would not have approved that proposal until a full public engagement program and neighbourhood impact assessment were complete. As I've said on my website, the County needs to diversify support throughout the region. One example is the property they're purchasing for second-stage housing, which they've already done in Campbellford, and they're currently looking for property across the County, not just in Cobourg. I wish this was reported out more.
6. Who should pay for it?
Cobourg is not the right level of government to fund these projects; nor can we as per the Housing Act, Northumberland County is the housing service manager. Cobourg's role and control lie in land use and approving housing development applications. We also need to get more innovative about funding models. It doesn't all have to rest on government. In my professional work, this is exactly what I do: fund community infrastructure through a multi-channel model that blends government, private, philanthropic, and earned income sources. We need to get more strategic about this here in our region.
7. What measurable results would you require before considering a program successful?
I've always said the standards of care, monitoring, and evaluation for homelessness and housing initiatives should be just as comprehensive as what we expect of long-term care and violence-against-women models. That means clear metrics like movement into permanent housing and reduced reliance on police and emergency services, tracked and reported publicly, not just assumed. Ministry funding directed through transfer payment agreements at the County need detailed and realistic M&E reporting.’
