‘Let us figure out how it works’: Mayors of Ontario’s biggest cities aren’t willing to give up local control over housing decisions

Ontario’s Big City Mayors are meeting in Kitchener this week

Yorkregion.com
April 21, 2023
Brent Davis

The mayors of Ontario’s largest cities say they know what’s best for their own communities when it comes to implementing housing goals set out by the province.

“Our key message to the province is: We’re partners with you, but there’s no one size fits all,” Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said Thursday in Kitchener.

“Each municipality will be different, and we need to have local control over how we plan our communities.”

Meed Ward’s comments came during a news conference at the Ontario’s Big City Mayors annual general meeting.

The group includes mayors of 29 cities with at least 100,000 people, representing nearly 70 per cent of the province’s population. They discussed housing and other issues with Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark on Thursday morning.

New provincial legislation and directives aim to transform local planning policies and expand urban boundaries with a goal of building 1.5 million new homes by 2031.

The province has asked these big cities to commit to individual housing targets to reach the 1.5 million total, and Meed Ward said the cities have endorsed these housing pledges.

“From there, let us figure out how it works, let us figure out where it goes.”

The mayors’ group says all types of homes are required to meet a wide range of needs, from single-family homes to missing-middle developments and condo towers, from rental to co-op and rent-geared-to-income models.

“We need affordability in our housing, not just to put new product on the market,” said the group’s chair, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie.

“It has to be attainable for the middle income and lower income, young families that want to locate in our cities, and particularly the newcomers.”

Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic noted the Region of Waterloo and the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge are developing inclusionary zoning policies that would require affordable units in many new developments.

Provincial regulations currently restrict inclusionary zoning to specific major transit station areas (MTSAs) in cities that have implemented the policies.

Provincial changes look to cap the number of required affordable units in a development at five per cent of the total, for a maximum 25-year term.

Those units can’t exceed 80 per cent of average market rent, leading some critics to question how affordable the units will actually be.

Vrbanovic said Kitchener council has supported the notion of expanding inclusionary zoning beyond MTSAs to provide more affordable housing.

“I think as people get comfortable with inclusionary zoning, and they understand the impact it has in our communities, we will continue to advocate for it in the future.”

Cities remain concerned about the loss of development charge and parkland revenue as a result of provincial changes, and a suggestion that potential compensation from the province won’t come if housing targets aren’t met, Crombie said.

In the face of slumping housing markets and financing, supply chain and labour shortage challenges, developers may need further incentives to build, she said.

“We’re not the ones physically putting the shovels in the ground.”

The mayors’ group has also developed a health and homelessness strategy that was presented to the province earlier this month.

“Our cities face an incredible crisis in health and homelessness across the province,” said London Mayor Josh Morgan.

“That is why we asked for quick and swift action from the government. That is why we continue to engage with them on a regular basis.”

The five-point plan includes recommendations on street outreach, low-barrier hubs offering shelter and services, rehab and treatment beds, supportive housing, and reducing red tape and duplication.

“By working together, this is how we’re going to be successful as communities, and this is how we’re going to be able to help our most vulnerable residents,” said Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson.