In an assignment worthy of the Mission: Impossible series, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens has a daunting additional job in 2023 — heading an advisory group set up by Premier Doug Ford to help find ways to keep his government’s promise of 1.5 million new Ontario homes in 10 years.

Construction targets have been set for cities and counties, with Windsor and Essex County tasked with building 30,400 homes by 2031, the city’s portion set at 13,000 new residential units.

Those in the actual business of constructing homes say it’s just not going to happen. But the pursuit of that goal has some local politicians worried about a potentially huge financial hit to local taxpayers.

“It’s impossible — I’d bet everything I own against it,” said John Rauti of J. Rauti Custom Homes, one of the biggest local home builders with close to 100 residential units added to the local market in 2022.

At a recent luncheon hosted for local mayors, Windsor Essex Home Builders’ Association president Vince Lapico of VLC Custom Homes said the local target of 3,000 new homes per year would mean a near-doubling of the previous record construction year that saw 1,680 units built.

Unachievable as the mission may appear to some, however, part of the legislation the Ford government has enacted to push the effort — Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, and Bill 109, More Homes for Everyone Act — comes with real financial pain for the taxpayers of any municipality that thinks it can simply ignore the assignment.

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