Bruce County Hosts Housing Forum: Together in Action

In celebration of National Housing Day, Bruce County hosted a Housing Forum on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at The Plex in Port Elgin. 

This full-day event, themed Together in Action, united a diverse group of stakeholders, including builders, developers, non-profits, funders, policy makers, community partners and municipal leaders to collaborate on housing solutions for Bruce County.

The Forum opened with a welcome and introduction from the Warden of Bruce County, Luke Charbonneau. He shared the importance of fostering partnerships, sharing knowledge and driving collaborative action to address housing needs across the region.

The County outlined a long-term vision for housing that spans all types, from transitional and supportive options, community and not-for-profit housing, to private market rental and homeownership. This approach emphasizes the importance of planning, policy development, investment and collaboration to address housing needs and drive meaningful action over the next decade in Bruce County.

“We are focused on improving housing options for Bruce County residents at all income levels. The wellbeing of our communities depends on the development of affordable and attainable housing,” says Charbonneau. “That is why local municipalities, non-profits and private developers are collaborating to turn housing challenges into real, sustainable housing solutions.”

The Forum showcased successful partnerships driving housing solutions, including collaborations between private sector leaders like Bruce Power and Bruce County, as well as aligning initiatives between local municipalities and the County to develop housing.

Bruce County's Housing Cross-Functional Team provided updates on the Bruce County Housing Action Plan, detailing progress in research, policy, advocacy efforts and incentive programs designed to increase housing supply and improve affordability.

Several local municipalities shared updates on housing accelerator programs, infrastructure investments, Community Improvement Plan incentives and proposed housing projects on municipal lands. Developers offered both private market and non-profit perspectives on current housing development challenges and opportunities.

Building capacity for new housing development emerged as a central theme throughout the day. Representatives from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Tapestry Community Capital shared information on innovative funding models and communities of practice to support housing developers.

Graham Cubitt of Flourish concluded the Forum with inspiring examples from Ontario communities that have successfully moved from concept to construction. He issued a call to action for collaborative partnerships to build collective capacity for delivering housing solutions that meet community needs.

“This event brought together leaders and innovators from both the private and non-profit sectors for meaningful conversations on housing solutions. The enthusiastic momentum from the participants making connections will advance housing development in Bruce County. By aligning efforts across multiple levels of government, non-profit organizations, and private developers, we can make real, measurable progress to Build in Bruce,” says Claire Dodds, Commissioner of Community Development at Bruce County.

Build in Bruce is an initiative by Bruce County focused on supporting private and non-profit developers to build affordable housing across the region. It’s part of the County’s broader Housing Action Plan, which aligns with the 2023–2026 Strategic Plan to increase housing options and foster innovative solutions for a strong, inclusive community. Learn more at www.brucecounty.on.ca/buildinbruce.