Finance committee  Sorry, actually, no, that's not. In the last 12 to 14 months, we've seen the community of Cobourg grow its housing stock by 5.7%. We've actually seen the largest growth in Northumberland County of affordable housing in, I believe, the 25 years that it's been recorded in just the last 18 months.

Finance committee  Yes, sir.

Finance committee  As the mayor of Cobourg, I'm elevated to the level of Northumberland County. Northumberland County is made up of seven mayors of surrounding towns.

Finance committee  Is there ever really enough affordable housing, sir?

Finance committee  No, sir. We are always in need of affordable housing.

Finance committee  No, sir, I would not say that. Actually, I would say that the main barrier to building affordable housing is the interrelationship between the different levels of government. I would say that there is too much empire building and not enough collaboration between these different levels of government.

Finance committee  By all means, and thank you for the opportunity. Yes, we are in the grocery business. We are a fresh food producer. We're the first of its kind, a zero waste producer. We have an eco-conscious business, because we realized eight years ago that this was what was going to happen with the cost of food, so we have a zero waste policy.

Finance committee  This is of particular interest to me. I am the regional chair of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence cities initiative, an international agency involving our indigenous allies in Canada as well as U.S. and Canadian municipalities. In the last year, we've grown from 80 individuals to, I believe, 256.

Finance committee  First of all, thank you very much for the question, Mr. Lawrence. I understand why you're asking it. I'm sure that the constant phone calls to your constituency office are getting a little tiresome, so I appreciate the opportunity to speak to this group. Yes, there's definitely an affordability crisis, and it's very much being felt in Cobourg.

Finance committee  As a business owner, one of our biggest problems is retaining staff, because there are no available rentals in our community. A one-bedroom apartment in Cobourg currently rents for about $1,950, and for two bedrooms, you're at $2,500-plus. At present, our community has to bring in between five and eight school buses of workers, because we have such a booming industrial complex within our community.

Finance committee  Thank you. I appreciate it and I hope I got your attention. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to address this group of decision-makers. It has been an honour and a pleasure. I look forward to your questions.

Finance committee  Thank you. I'm Lucas Cleveland, as you said.

Finance committee  will do my best. Thank you very much, sir. As introduced, I am Lucas Cleveland, the mayor of Cobourg. For those who are unaware, Cobourg is the largest municipality in the county of Northumberland in Ontario. It's an idyllic, beachside, heritage-rich community with over 200 years of history.