Toronto is facing a crushing housing shortage. Here's how a new city committee plans to tackle it

Advocates, committee members hope new mayor's vision helps speed up construction, planning

Cbc.ca
Aug. 14, 2023
Vanessa Balintec

Advocates and city councillors are hopeful Toronto's change in leadership will usher in an age of better housing policy and rapid construction amid an ongoing housing shortage. But just how will that be achieved?

Toronto's new planning and housing committee is inheriting the task of not only easing the city's housing shortage and affordability crisis, but helping it achieve the municipality's larger target of building 285,000 homes by 2031.

Comprised of both councillors who supported and opposed Olivia Chow during the mayoral byelection, the commitee may have some questioning how it'll work together to solve the problem.

But the mayor, speaking to CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Friday, said she isn't worried about differences in ideology getting in the way. If anything, she thinks having diverse perspectives can help lead to more innovation and collaboration.

"What I'm seeing, which is really encouraging, is a real sense of commitment. Let's give this a try," said Chow.

The committee, with Coun. Gord Perks as chair and former chair and city planner Coun. Brad Bradford as vice-chair, is tasked with delivering on Chow's campaign promise of building 25,000 rent-controlled homes over the next eight years.

And while it may be a lofty goal to get shovels in the ground within the next three year's of Chow's term, Perks says the city has no choice but to deliver if it wants to get ahead of the housing shortage.

"It simply has to be done," said Perks, adding he's "thrilled" and a "little bit intimidated" at being tapped to lead the committee.

"The City of Toronto can't succeed unless people from all income brackets can find a place to live so that they can do the work of helping us to build the city."

Who will focus on what?
Chow said she wants the committee to start off by seeing through any outstanding private developer contracts, taking stock of the city land to get non-profit developers involved or have the city start building units through its real estate branch CreateTO, and finding ways to keep tenants from getting evicted.

These city councillors will play key roles in Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's new term
Perks said he aims to "put our foot on the gas" in four main areas. They include hiring new staff and planners; maximizing existing programs like its rental acquisition initiative -- where the city buys buildings that would otherwise be sold to developers; getting more low-income housing built through non-profits, social housing and co-ops; and strengthening tenant protections.

Meanwhile, Bradford -- who opposed Chow during the mayoral byelection and took aim at her housing plans -- says he wants to support Chow however he can, even if he doesn't fully agree with her approach.

To do this, he said he'll focus more on the planning side by moving forward with as-of-right zoning, meaning projects would largely avoid lengthy approval processes, building code reforms and speeding up permit timelines -- all things that could help developers beyond the city get involved.

"The best thing that local government can do is create an environment where it is faster, easier and more affordable to deliver housing," said Bradford.

The rest of the committee is comprised by councillors Jamaal Myers, Frances Nunziata, Michael Thompson and Josh Matlow, who was also a mayoral rival of Chow's.

In related roles, Coun. Paula Fletcher will be the mayor's designate at the Toronto Community Housing Corporation and at CreateTO, which is the arm responsible for developing city-owned land, while Coun. Vincent Cristanti will serve on the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation.

What do residents want to see?
Damien Moule, a volunteer with advocacy group More Neighbours Toronto, says the group cares less about who builds housing and more about how many homes are getting built.

"Housing is housing. We need more of it," said Moule.

"We'd like to see the speed of housing construction in the city, whether it be public or private, increase dramatically and for rents and housing prices to stop increasing as fast as they have been."

Mark Richardson, an affordable housing advocate and the technical lead of HousingNowTO.com, a volunteer group that keeps tabs on the progress of the city's signature affordable housing program, Housing Now, says he hopes the committee learns from previous mistakes and drawn out projects.

He cited the time gap between the start of construction on the first Housing Now project earlier this week and the program's launch in 2019.

"Mayor Chow and and her planning and housing committee hopefully have learned those lessons and will adapt and be nimble," said Richardson.

While ideological differences on the committee could be a point of tension, Richardson says the housing crisis is something that goes beyond political stripes. The only thing that matters now is that they work together, he says.

"It's not progressives and conservatives. It is about delivery."