Dear Editor:
I have read with dismay the series of letters bemoaning the construction of a five-storey apartment building in the centre of downtown Fergus.
I understand that these comments come from the heart – people want to preserve our idyllic little town, the one that I grew up in. But that town was a place where young adults could expect to own a home one day. That place no longer exists.
Flip toward the real estate ads in the back of this newspaper. Look for the ones described as “starter homes” or “bungalows.” Does the typical young adult in our community have anywhere near the income they would need to qualify for a mortgage on one of these homes? Do you, if you were buying for the first time?
We live in a society oriented around home ownership as a major milestone in life, and yet we have chosen to underbuild housing for decades. The result is a massive shortage in the supply of homes that has put the milestone of home ownership out of reach, perhaps permanently, for many young Canadians.
Communities are for people. They aren’t museums, frozen in time. If a community isn’t growing to meet the needs of the next generation, if it isn’t making room for young people to start families and businesses, then it’s dying. Decline is a choice, but we can choose otherwise.
If you believe young people should have the opportunity to live in the communities that they grew up in, then support building more homes and a variety of homes, including detached houses, apartments, condos, and row houses. We can build upward and we can build outward. We should do both. If not, young people will leave, and you will know why.
Jean-Paul Soucy,
Fergus