In this episode of Echo Essentials, North Bay City Councillor Mark King joins the show to talk candidly about the state of housing and homelessness in the city. As chair of the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board and vice chair of the Northern Ontario Service Delivery Association, Mark brings a regional and on the ground view of what is happening and why.

The conversation covers new data showing sharp increases in homelessness across Northern Ontario, the limits of what municipalities can realistically do, and why provincial and federal support is critical.

Mark also shares insights from recent meetings with provincial ministers, the challenges of funding social housing, and what it means when cities are left managing a crisis they cannot solve alone

0:00 Introduction and why homelessness is the focus 
10:11 The new report and the 117 percent increase in Northern Ontario
19:26 Why cities cannot fix homelessness alone
32:15 What real housing solutions actually require
56:01 Final reflections and what comes next for North Bay