County buys home on Kent Street
Council approves purchase, renovation, and addition of modular units
Northumberland County is spending $1.1 million to add four affordable housing units to its supply in Campbellford to help tenants who need support.
Last December the county purchased a duplex at 129 Kent Street and this week council approved a plan to renovate those units and add two more modular units on the site.
The units will be operated by the Northumberland County Housing Corporation, which also provides similar supportive housing at 152 Cockburn Street.
“This is another example of how the county is making strategic, cost-effective investments to help address one of the most pressing issues facing our communities,” says Glenn Dees, Director of Community and Social Services. “We’re using every tool available—whether it’s constructing new buildings, purchasing existing ones, or expanding units —to deliver more homes people can afford.”
The county purchased the vacant legal duplex in December 2024 for $460,000, using $325,790 in funding from the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative, a provincial-federal cost-shared program, and $134,210 in county housing reserve funds. The building will be renovated using $75,000 from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
The county plans to add two units using a modular construction approach. This will enable a faster build, reduced disruption to neighbours, and significantly lower per-unit costs—approximately $283,750 per unit, compared to $550,000 to $600,000 for traditional builds. The total project is budgeted at $1.135 million, funded through a blend of provincial grants and a draw from housing reserves.
“The housing affordability crisis persists, and we’re committed to keeping our foot on the gas to accelerate a concrete response,” says Warden Brian Ostrander. “The county is proud to work alongside the NCHC and the Municipality of Trent Hills to add these much-needed units to the current stock, while being thoughtful about the types of housing we deliver and the timelines in which we deliver them.
“With these new affordable units, we will continue to build on the model of transitional housing, where there is currently a gap in the housing continuum in our community. Making these units available will make a meaningful difference in the lives of future tenants.”
The Kent Street project, which will be ready to accept tenants in 2026, is part of a growing number of county-led affordable housing initiatives, including the Cockburn Street complex in Campbellford, the King Street redevelopment in Colborne, and the Elgin Park redevelopment as well and the multi-partner Ontario Street build in Cobourg.
“Creative and collaborative projects like this one are how we make meaningful gains in addressing the housing challenges facing our community,” says Victor Fiume, chair of the Northumberland County Housing Corporation. “Our board is proud to support flexible and cost-effective solutions—like modular construction—that allow us to expand our housing portfolio faster and more affordably, while being responsive to local needs. We remain focused on building a community where everyone has access to safe, secure, and affordable housing.”
Loan for apartment unit
The county has also approved a $20,000 construction loan to help Kendra and Tom Dillabough, owners of a house at 36 Autumn Road north of Warkworth add an apartment unit to their home. The loan will be forgiven as long as the owners charge an affordable rent for the next 25 years. The rent charged cannot exceed the average monthly rent in the county, including utilities.
Recruiter sought to find doctors
County council has backed a plan to hire a physician recruiter for the next two years with an annual salary of $110,000 and a bonus of $5,000 per physician hired during that period.
County bylaws do not permit bonus payments, so council had to approve this arrangement.
Deputy Warden Olena Hankivsky, who is mayor of Port Hope, had pushed for a performance-based bonus structure. She also advocated for the county to become involved in physician recruitment, over the objections of the Ontario Health Team – Northumberland, which argued it was already co-ordinating county-wide efforts.
The county’s program will be in addition to recruitment efforts by the Trent Hills Family Health Team and Campbellford Memorial Hospital and those carried out by Brighton and Quinte West.
The estimated annual cost of the position is $223,000, including benefits and expenses.
$200,000 for restructuring review
Following feedback from all seven member municipalities, Northumberland County has decided to review opportunities for increased sharing of services and alternative service delivery models that could save money.
A committee of chief administrative officers from the municipalities agreed to start by examining the financial systems the organizations use, because they all currently use a system called Great Plains that will no be supported by Microsoft, so they need to find a new platform.
In addition, the review will look at planning and building inspection services; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion programs; environmental sustainability efforts; economic development and tourism promotion; and communications.
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