Your new house might cost even more because of this
Morning from the Wheat City — here's what's driving Brandon today.
I know we're all looking at the numbers these days, whether it's the latest Wheat Kings power play percentage or the monthly inflation report. But there's a conversation happening in Winnipeg right now about housing development that could easily ripple out here to Brandon, and frankly, it's a bit of a head-scratcher. They're trying to fix a bottleneck for infill housing, which sounds great on paper, but the proposed solutions could put more pressure on what we're already seeing with housing affordability right here in Westman.
**What's Happening in the Capital?**
Winnipeg's infill housing issue boils down to infrastructure. Developers want to build in established neighbourhoods, but often the water lines, sewers, or roads aren't up to snuff for increased density. The city's proposed solutions include:
* **Infrastructure Levy:** Charging developers a fee to help cover infrastructure costs. * **Special Service Areas:** Designating areas where property owners pay an additional tax for upgrades. * **Public-Private Partnerships:** The city and developers sharing the cost and risk.
The core problem is nobody wants to pay the millions needed for these upgrades, and it's stalling projects. Here in Brandon, with our steady population growth – we're projected to hit 80,000 by 2040 – we're already seeing a tight housing market. We need more housing, not more reasons for it to get complicated or expensive. Think about the land south of the Assiniboine River or even some of the older lots around Brandon University; if it becomes too costly to develop them, we're just pushing more growth further out, increasing reliance on cars and sprawling infrastructure.
**Why This Matters for Brandon**
We've got a $2.9 billion economy here, folks, and new residents are arriving daily, drawn by jobs at places like Maple Leaf Foods and Behlen Industries. We need housing options across the spectrum. If Winnipeg sets a precedent where infrastructure costs get directly pushed onto new developments, it could easily become a provincial standard. That means:
* Higher development costs, which inevitably get passed onto the homebuyer or renter. * Slower housing starts, exacerbating our current housing gap. * Less diverse housing stock as developers focus on projects with higher profit margins to absorb these new fees.
We're already seeing bidding wars on some properties near Corral Centre and Shoppers Mall. Adding more costs to the equation isn't going to help the young families, students, or newcomers trying to find an affordable place to live in the Wheat City. This isn't just a Winnipeg problem; it's a Manitoba problem that needs a smarter solution than just making housing more expensive.
Marcus Fehr, Morning Wire, Brandon.
My colleagues dive into the numbers on this one every morning – catch their insights live at mornings.live.