Part 2: PEC Housing Corporation Pushes CMHC Reform and Advances Disraeli Street Project - 02/10/2025

Councillor Phil St-Jean led the meeting as chair and kept things focused on moving forward. He stressed the need for momentum, accountability, and not letting processes slow things down. He supported updating governance rules so they better reflect the corporation’s current role and backed moving quickly on recruitment and fundraising.

© PEC Council (YouTube)

His approach signals a shift toward faster decisions and clearer structure. For residents, this matters because it can speed up how quickly housing projects move from planning to reality.

View the entire PEC Council Meeting; or view our recap.

Governance and Advocacy Approach

Cristal Landstra, as vice chair, played a strong role in shaping both governance and advocacy discussions. She supported creating a governance working group and raised questions about where the board should focus strategically versus getting involved in day to day operations.

Her input helps reduce confusion around roles, which can otherwise delay progress. She also pushed for a stronger approach to advocacy by suggesting direct meetings with CMHC instead of relying only on written communication.

This kind of pressure increases the chances of policy change, which directly affects how quickly new housing options can be created for local renters.

Lived Experience and Ground Level Reality

Albert Paschkowiak focused on making sure real community voices are not lost in policy discussions. He pushed for including people with lived experience of housing instability in future board recruitment.

He raised concerns that housing decisions can drift too far from what people are actually going through on the ground. His comments pushed the board to stay connected to real needs instead of just policy frameworks.

He also supported making the advocacy letter stronger and suggested involving provincial ministries along with federal agencies. For locals, this increases the chances that housing barriers are addressed at multiple levels of government.

Housing System and Seniors Impact

Councillor Nyman brought attention to seniors housing and how it affects the entire housing system. He explained that many seniors cannot afford to move into town, even after selling rural homes, which keeps larger homes tied up and limits movement across the market.

He pointed out that building morededicated seniors housing could help unlock supply across different housing types. This shows how one part of the system affects everything else. For residents, this highlights that solving housing issues is not just about one group but about improving flow across the entire community.

Staff Insights and System Barriers

Staff played a key role by explaining why housing projects are getting stuck. They shared that CMHC rental data is significantly lower than what is actually happening locally, with gaps as high as 65 percent.

They also explained that Prince Edward County currently scores zero points in a national loan program because of how the system is set up. This means projects that meet affordability goals still cannot access funding.

Staff made it clear that builders are ready and willing to build, but federal rules are creating barriers. For residents, this means delays are not due to lack of effort locally but because of how funding programs are structured.

Project Approval and Immediate Impact

On the 30 Disraeli Street project, the board fully supported allowing the chair to sign the municipal housing agreement.

This decision helps reduce operating costs right away and supports long term affordability for the project. For people in Picton waiting for rental options, this is a step that helps move the project closer to completion.

Advocacy Letter and Policy Pressure

The board also approved an advocacy letter to CMHC, with changes to make it stronger. The updated version clearly describes the housing crisis, asks for direct meetings, and expands who receives the letter to include both provincial and federal housing ministries.

This step matters because without changes to CMHC rules, affordable housing projects in the county will continue to face structural barriers.

Overall Impact on the Community

The meeting showed a board that is aligned and becoming more direct in how it pushes for change. There is a clear focus on removing barriers and making sure local realities are reflected in higher level decisions.

For residents, this means housing efforts are becoming more coordinated and more active. It also shows that while progress is happening locally, many of the biggest challenges still depend on changes at the provincial and federal level.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 1:15:029 Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration