By Damien Conover
The #Olivia resignations have set the political atmosphere for government ministers to address hot topics and I was lucky enough to meet up with all nine panellists from the Housing Affordability Task Force. The group is a panel of local government officials, development experts, economists, social housing advocates, design professionals, architects, and urban planners. As the panelist listed above, they have extensive backgrounds in their areas of expertise. Each of these individuals brings their unique unique perspective to the discussions and we want to hear from them too.
The briefing we were given at Queen’s Park explains each panelist’s background and their responsibilities. We also shared the information with them so they could familiarize themselves with the work of each task force. Each task force member will be appointed for two years.
Gord Wilson is Chair of the Housing Affordability Task Force. He is the Director of Community Services with Windsor-Essex County.
Linda Haslam-Stroud, of the 2018 Ruth Kofman Chair of Community Centres of Essex County, is also a panelist on the Housing Affordability Task Force.
Marie St-Louis is the Chair of the Housing Affordability Task Force. She is the CEO of the Windsor Essex Community Health Centre.
Jennifer Burton is Vice-Chair of the Housing Affordability Task Force. She is the Chair of the Essex Council of Community Centres.
Liz Firkins is the Co-Founder and Director of Community Engagement for the Windsor Essex Community Health Centre.
Rob Macdonald is a former Parliamentary Secretary with the Government of Ontario. He is a Panelist on the Housing Affordability Task Force.
Harold MacKay is Chair of the Housing Affordability Task Force. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of the OPW.
Sister Bridget Blanco is the St. Joseph School Board Board Trustee. She is also a panelist on the Housing Affordability Task Force.
Mark Scott is the Governor General’s Representative for Ontario. He is a Panelist on the Housing Affordability Task Force.