Builders Roger and Stephan Gagnon with Eric Bellehumeur are constructing a 26-unit building at Dovercourt and Cache Bay Road, catering to empty nesters who want to rent higher end, low maintenance apartments. 
The architectural rendering of the building. 
Developer Steve Morrison is on the final phases of his CASA Developments residential project in the south part of Sturgeon Falls, but he says red tape has slowed things down and cost him sales. He is standing on Alexe Street, where 12 homes should already be under construction. 
Pete Sénécal and Roch St. Jacques build about five homes per year under the banner Champagne Homes. They are currently building at the south end of Sturgeon Falls (shown), with two more builds planned in Cache Bay this year. 
Pat St. Jacques is on his 6th of ten homes being built on St. Jacques Court in Sturgeon Falls. Shown is the sign at the development. He says he sold the same house model for $297K in 2020 and $560K in 2025, without making any more profit.
A look at options and current developments
Joyce Beauchamp
Special to the Tribune
Most readers are viewing this article from the comfort of their home. What if you were searching for a home in West Nipissing from which to read? What are your options, and what would those options cost?
One option would be to rent an apartment or a house. Kijiji had the following rental spaces available as of August 26, 2025, starting with the smallest spaces for rent: bunk beds, four per room, for $500 per bunk per month with no privacy as the owner resides in the room. If you prefer your own room in a shared house, three such rooms are available, for $795, $895 and $975 per month, apparently with the requirement that you leave during the day so that the owner can work from home. Another kijiji ad offers a room in a house for $895, or the master bedroom suite for $1,500 but only for a certain time of the year. A fully-furnished bedroom in a shared house is $700 per month.
If you prefer an entire apartment or house to yourself, again, on Kijiji, there is a 630 square foot one-bedroom apartment going for $1,450 per month plus hydro and gas. There is a 700 square foot two-bedroom basement apartment for rent for $1,800 per month. A one-bedroom, one bathroom 750 square foot apartment in a quiet building is asking $1,800 plus hydro. A two-bedroom, 850 square foot semi-detached house with one bathroom goes for $1,865 per month. The main floor of a house, including three bedrooms and two bathrooms and 1,100 square feet, goes for $2,375 per month all-inclusive, and a newly renovated apartment of 2,000 square feet including four bedrooms and two bathrooms is $2,600 all-inclusive. Finally, a brand new 1,153 square foot house, with two bedrooms, one bathroom and a one-car garage, will set you back $2,950 per month with hydro, water and sewer extra.
The cost of renting has gone up significantly since the Covid pandemic. Many renters must seek financial assistance. Melanie Shaye, Director of the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board advises, “Individuals can apply to the centralized housing waitlist by calling (705) 474-2151 ext. 45589 or emailing at housing.access@dnssab.ca… and choose from various housing options including rent-geared-to-income units, low-end market units, rent subsidies, and affordable housing options.”
However, there is a long wait list and a shortage of options. Shaye adds that, “As of December 31, 2024, the total number of households on the Centralized Waitlist (CWL) for subsidized housing was 1,011, district-wide” and priority is given to “individuals fleeing domestic violence or human trafficking, (…) those who have lost their unit through fire, flood, condemnation, etc., and (…) homelessness.”
Shaye indicates that in West Nipissing, in particular, there are 61 buildings providing 313 rent-geared-to-income units; 114 low-end market units; and 63 affordable units. There are also numerous units subsidized through private market landlords.
Higher end units also in demand
One group of local renters with the resources to pay market rent is empty-nesters. Empty nesters are willing to pay a bit more for a secure, landscaped, one-floor, turnkey rental apartment in a modern building. Several of these nicely-appointed buildings already exist; however, demand is strong and Roger Gagnon and his son, Stephan Gagnon, will be constructing such a building on the corner of Cache Bay Road and Dovercourt Road in Sturgeon Falls. “I just received the architect’s rendering,” offers Roger.
They are currently preparing the ground to make way for next spring’s construction of a 26-unit single-story rental building. “Many empty-nesters don’t want to shovel the driveway, mow the lawn and trim the shrubs,” Roger points out. “They want a secure building where they will be able to lock the door, leave and not have to worry. This building will have twenty-one 1-bedroom units and five 2-bedrooms, for between $1,500 and $2,000 per month. It’s already half rented and will be fully rented by the time we put our shovels in the ground,” he states, “and that was just by word of mouth. Demand is that high.”
Real estate market in flux
Most of these empty-nesters have already encouraged their children to buy homes and not rent them. “Buy property, even with a mortgage, and you will build equity and financial security,” they would advise. Of course, during and after the pandemic, house prices skyrocketed, bidding wars ensued and many would-be buyers were priced out of the market. Today, some segments of the market are cooling, showing signs of a return to normal, though moderately priced homes are still selling fast.
Local real estate agent Shawn Page of Page Realty says, “The sweet spot for house sales is currently under $400,000. People who list their homes somewhere in the $300,000’s can expect a lot of action within several days of listing.” Most readers can validate that by watching how quickly SOLD signs appear after listing. What that means for buyers is that when they see something they like under $400,000, they have to act fairly quickly to make an offer, Page advises.
He also has advice for sellers of more expensive homes: “In the high end, with homes over $600,000, the seller has to, first, price their home accurately, without inflating its value. Second, the seller has to wait. An offer will not come in within a week. The days of bidding wars and next-day sales are over.” Page adds, “The segment of the market that has taken a beating is waterfront and seasonal homes, because there’s no longer that much disposable income out there in an environment of uncertainty. Buyers have seen several elections in quick succession, job losses, and not a lot of good news. They would rather hold onto their money than buy a cottage, for the time being at least.”
Financing home ownership
How much does a mortgage cost these days? The Tribune asked Victoria Restoule, personal finance advisor at the Sturgeon Falls Caisse Alliance, what a buyer seeking to purchase a $350,000 house could expect. “First time home buyers require a minimum down payment of 5% for homes up to $500,000 through CMHC/SAGEN, [which is] $17,500,” she advises, and she would need to see “proof of income, proof of down payment, and a credit check.” Restoule adds that first-time buyers can withdraw from their First Home Savings Account (which offers tax-advantaged savings) or from their RRSP through a Home Buyer’s Plan.
As for rates, they depend on the length of time they lock in the mortgage, whether they select a variable rate (which goes up and down according to market rates) or a fixed rate (which stays the same for the term of the mortgage), and whether their credit is not quite perfect and other variables. If their downpayment is under 20%, they need a CMHC-insured mortgage, also affecting the rate. As of August 28, 2025, the rates for a buyer with great credit on a closed mortgage were 5.59% for 12 months, 4.89% for 24 months, 4.49% for 36 months, 4.59% for 48 months, 4.64% for 60 months (5 years) and 5.29% for 84 months (7 years). Restoule says buyers also have to keep in mind closing costs such as appraisal fees, legal fees, land transfer tax and, if required, mortgage insurance premiums and taxes.
One way to make home ownership more affordable is to have help paying the mortgage, such as by building or buying a duplex where the owner lives on one side and rents out the other side. One of Roger and Steph Gagnon’s 2025 builds is on land zoned RU, which does not permit a duplex. Instead, they are building a single family residence with a legal “second suite” that is up to 75% of the square footage of the main residence. “To build nowadays is so expensive it’s unreal,” says Roger. “I don’t know how young families do it, but having a second suite is a ‘mortgage helper’ for sure.”
Builders rue high costs and red tape
Pete Sénécal of Champagne Homes is the kind of builder that someone can approach with a lot and a set of house plans and ask, “how much to build this?” Sénécal and his brother-in-law Roch St. Jacques build four or five homes per year. They are currently building two homes in the south end of Sturgeon Falls. “These homes are already sold,” says Sénécal. Asked whether he agrees with fellow builder Roger Gagnon that building today is expensive and “unreal,” Sénécal agrees wholeheartedly. “Subtrades and materials suppliers are trying to keep up with the higher cost of living, and they routinely raise their prices,” he points out. “During Covid, material suppliers started raising their prices – almost weekly in the case of wood – for no reason, really. We’re a few years past Covid now, but prices haven’t fallen much. I’m paying $5 less on a sheet of OSB board, but the rest – it’s just a slow and steady climb upward.”
Sénécal’s third and fourth builds this year will be on a large lot he purchased in Cache Bay and severed into three lots. “There’s been talk about the government making home construction easier, faster and less expensive,” he says, “but really there’s no difference. On the Cache Bay lots I’m experiencing delays at the severance stage. I don’t know why. It’s pretty simple and the severances should have been done by now, but they’re not.”
There are other impediments to building homes beside the cost of materials and trades, Sénécal says. “Here on King Street in Sturgeon Falls, if I need Hydro One to come out and make a connection, it can be a month-and-a-half wait. If I call to complain, they put me back to the bottom of the list. Then there’s the recent Building Code changes that make building more expensive. There’s still the HST adding about $50,000 to the cost. And even though the Bank of Canada may have lowered its prime rate, the banks and lenders haven’t reduced their rates to correspond. Building and selling homes was much, much easier in the ‘80’s.”
