Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma says 2024 was an interesting year locally.
Ritsma says this past year and 2025 will both be highlighted by a continuous growth of housing options in the area, covering many different types of housing being built in the city.
"A major development with the Krug site that will build up to 400 affordable homes and units that we are in desperate need of, especially in the rental market," Ritsma stated.
Ritsma also notes that there will be a continued focus on senior's care and senior living options, and just last Friday, he was informed of more upcoming work on a major long-term care facility.
"The major PeopleCare project which will provide senior's care and long-term care for seniors, and then as they build it out, a continuum of care. So maybe seniors that want to downsize, they can find a place that is affordable that suits their needs," explained Ritsma. "We are short thousands of beds in our local area for seniors. At the market last weekend, a senior came up to me and said 'Mayor, you have to promise me that you're gonna build homes for seniors.' So I shared that news with her, and that was hard work but important work," noted Ritsma.
In terms of next year's budget, Ritsma says preliminary numbers show an increase that he feels is too high.
"We're looking at about 7.24 percent, but certainly I'm not happy with that. We need to take a look at that in the new year. I would like to see something with a 4, a 4.9 maybe 4.8 percent, even a 5 percent increase, something in there," Ritsma said.
