Lakeshore opts to stay in their ‘own lane’ over social housing

A motion from Lakeshore council affirmed that the municipality doesn't want to reallocate fees to provide social housing services.

Mayor Tracey Bailey received unanimous support Tuesday to stick with the arrangement as it is currently structured.

Under what’s called the Consolidated Municipal Service Manager (CMSM), the City of Windsor administers social housing for both the city and the County of Essex.

Social housing criticism

In recent months, Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy has been critical of the CMSM, arguing too much focus is on the city and less on meeting the needs of residents in the county.

“What we know right now is what we have in place for social housing is not working,” Bondy told county council in October 2025.

“35 people got off the geared-to-income waitlist in 2024 - that’s it. We need to find a way to help more people with the dollars we have because the system is broken, it needs a complete overhaul.”

Bondy has been calling for the CMSM to be re-drafted, allowing in part, for each municipality to take a larger role in social housing.

Lakeshore wants to stay in its “own lane”

Tuesday, Lakeshore council voted to keep the model as is, largely in part because it has been established and funded by the province, with no expectation more money will flow to change how social housing works.

“It’s a three-million (dollar) spend per year to staff it so that we can duplicate and replicate what’s already happening with our service manager,” Bailey explained.

“If you’re having issues, you don’t set up your own, your own department, your own administration,” Deputy Mayor Kirk Walstedt said Tuesday. “You work it out and you talk it out and and you work things out.”

Ian Ruston said he was happy with the motion because it encourages Lakeshore and all other municipalities to “stay where we need to be as, lower and upper tier municipal governments in our own lane.”

Council did however agree with an amendment from Coun. Ryan McNamara asking the city to “revisit” the agreement to look for “areas of mutual agreement, seek out areas for improvement, while also looking to incorporate homelessness into that agreement.”

With files from AM800 News