WINDSOR, ONT. -- A migrant worker housing complex is under construction in Leamington.
The 96 units are being built along County Road 33 to house 576 temporary foreign workers.
“Right now if you try to rent a house in Leamington, it’s really really hard,” says president of Liovas Homes Jim Liovas.
Liovas says many rental properties in town are being used by the agri-food industry to house temporary foreign workers. Liovas says this new development has been in the works for at least 2 years, initially intended to address an affordable housing shortage.
“It’ll be a nice area,”he adds. “I think they’ll feel really good when they come and leave here.”
Each building has six-apartments with three-bedrooms, each with its own washroom. A neighbourhood grocery/variety store is also under construction.
Liovas tells CTV News, Highline Mushroom Farms will be renting the units for their workers.
“It’s not like you just go to work and then you go to your bunk house and then you wait to the next day to go to work,” says Liovas. “It’s like normal living.”
Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald believes this project will alleviate some of the town's housing crisis and provide a solution to the agri-food industry.
“This seems to be the perfect answer to the COVID light that’s being shone on bunk houses and housing in particular,” MacDonald adds she’s hopeful construction will be complete in early fall. “The fact we did it before means that we’re forward thinking and we’re not reacting. We’re already in the process so that when next year’s crew is ready, or even in the fall, we’ll already have a housing solution.”
