Civil Municipal Magazine - Dec 2023

43 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 BROCKTON, ONTARIO Additionally, there are plans to expand the urban boundary and create quality attainable housing, as Brockton recognizes the importance of this in facilitating economic growth and stability. “In Brockton, our staff is very concerned about this, and committed to the issue,” says Mayor Peabody. “We’ve had very strong pressures on housing, and a very significant lack of housing for people who are working class. We were one of the few small municipalities to apply for the housing accelerator grant, and we’re applying for a whole variety of funding from the federal government. We’re very serious about it.” Aware that a small rural municipality might not be on the government radar, they have taken a significant step by hiring a lobbyist in Ottawa to advocate for their cause. “We want to make sure that the government knows there’s a housing crisis in rural Ontario too,” Peabody stresses. “We’ve made this a priority. We’re one of the few small municipalities to really try to take advantage of this grant. It’s a complicated process, but we’ve put the time and effort in with our staff because we’re definitely willing to punch above our weight to get housing at the attainable level.” Collaboration and Innovation Collaboration is a key driver of Brockton’s success.