County consider smoke free housing

When the 55 social housing units being built by Wellington County in Fer­gus open next year, pets are welcome – but officials have yet to decide about smoking.

The Advertiser received a query Monday, wondering if a public building such as the social housing units would al­low smoking when the pro­vin­cial law states that smoking in public buildings is forbid­den. The county will own and run the building.

Balanced against that law is a person’s right to engage in legal activities in his own home.

Warden Joanne Ross-Zuj said the question is a good one, and county officials are still pon­dering what to do.

Director of Housing Heath­er Burke said in an interview Monday, “We’re still actually discussing it.”

She said pets will be allow­ed in the one and two-bed­room apartments where rent will be geared to income.

But when it comes to smok­ing, “We’re having a discus­sion, because we know it’s an issue out there,” Burke said.

Waiting list started

Ross-Zuj said a number of peo­ple have asked her about how to apply for one of the units being completed on Gor­don Street in the north end of Fergus.

Burke said the county is in the process of preparing a formal ap­plication, but she add­ed that there are already people on a waiting list who had applied using other appli­ca­tions forms for social hous­ing.

“We have some older appli­cations,” Burke said, adding that people can start applying now, even while the new forms are being developed. She said those are available from the coun­ty website in the rent-geared-to-income application forms.

The cost of the units has already been set. A one bedroom apartment will rent for $640 per month the first year, and the maximum income the renter can have is $36,000.

For two-bedroom apart­ments, the rent will be $751 per month and the maximum income allow­ed is a little over $42,000 a year.