In This Newsletter:
- What to Ask Your Candidates About Housing
- Celebrating the Growth of The Magic of Children in the Arts
- Recently Published: The Institute of Southern Georgian Bay’s 2024 Annual Report
Questions That Matter: What to Ask Your Candidates About Housing
As the federal election approaches, the Institute’s Social Finance and Housing Committee has developed a new resource for residents and voters: “Questions to Ask Your Candidates About Affordable Housing.” This tool equips you—and your networks—with four critical, non-partisan questions that every federal candidate should be ready to answer.
Why? Because housing is a human right, and the crisis we’re facing across Canada demands urgent, informed, and long-term leadership. Whether you’re engaging directly with candidates, attending a debate, or making your decision at the ballot box, these questions help frame the conversation around solutions that matter—like capital funding for non-profit housing, social finance innovation, and tax reform to support below-market rental development.
This document is part of our growing Affordable Housing Toolkit, created by local advocates and policy leaders to support community-driven housing education and advocacy. It pairs with our recent Key Points platform summary and localized housing data by riding to form a trio of timely, election-ready tools.
We invite you to use this resource, share it widely, and make housing a central issue in this election.
Access the full toolkit and the new candidate questions here:
https://tisgb.com/social-finance-and-housing/affordable-housing-toolkit/2025-federal-elections-housing-considerations/
Because change begins with the right questions—and the courage to ask them.
A Growing Canvas: Trust, Belonging, and the Magic of Children in the Arts
By: Jordie Burton
There’s something powerful about walking into a space and seeing walls covered in the work of children. The colours, the wildness, the confidence, the play—it reminds us that imagination is something we all begin with. For years, Magic of Children in the Arts has offered young people in South Georgian Bay a chance to create, explore, and be seen. This year, the organization’s much-loved annual art show is expanding to four libraries across the region—bringing the work not just into public view, but back into the very communities where it was created.
Growth That Comes Naturally
The annual exhibition at the Collingwood Library has been growing steadily—so much so that it’s now, in the words of the team, “bursting at the seams.” As more schools engage with Magic’s in-school programming, it became clear that the show needed room to grow too. But the expansion wasn’t just about space. “As more schools came on board, it felt like a natural extension to return the work to the towns and neighbourhoods that nurtured it.” In many ways, this shift reflects what Magic has always stood for: belonging, access, and the joy of seeing something you’ve made reflected back to you, publicly and proudly.
A Program That People Talk About
Something that stands out in conversations about Magic—whether with teachers, parents, or kids—is how often people use the word more. More interest, more requests, more kids signing up. More joy. And as that demand continues to grow, so too does the sense that this program is filling a gap. One teacher put it plainly: “There are not numerous opportunities for students in schools to participate in areas of the arts. This was a fantastic opportunity… we feel it was invaluable.”
Read the full feature on The Magic of Children in the Arts HERE
This spring, visit one of the four exhibitions to see the impact firsthand. You’ll be reminded of what’s possible when community and creativity meet.
Library Exhibition Openings:
- Collingwood Public Library – May 3
- Wasaga Beach Library – May 2
- Meaford Public Library – May 10
- L.E. Shore Gallery, Thornbury – May 30
Learn more and support at magicofchildren.ca
2024 Annual Report Now Published
Our 2024 Annual Report is now live! It highlights a year of momentum, collaboration, and impact across Southern Georgian Bay. If you haven’t had a chance to dive in yet, we invite you to read it and reflect on the incredible collective progress made.
If something sparks your interest or you’d like to get more involved in our 2025 programming—whether through volunteering, sponsoring, or joining a Design Team—we’d love to hear from you.
Want to connect? Email us at [email protected]