Ontario Construction News staff writer
Toronto city council has adopted a housing pledge to build 285,000 new homes by 2031 – a 23 per cent increase in housing supply within 10 years. It means more than 31,050 homes must be built per year – double the average number of units built annually between 2017 to 2021.
Councillors described the target as an ambitious goal and a call to action for the city, other orders of government and stakeholders to accelerate timelines and get housing built.
Council-adopted a staff report outlining the Municipal Housing Pledge as requested by Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The report includes strategies to achieve the target through the Housing Action Plan 2022-2026 and HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan.
Expected actions include:
- Official Plan, zoning and guideline amendments
- intensification of major growth areas
- advancing housing system policy and program initiatives
- training and trades strategy addressing construction market capacity
- leveraging public land to increase the supply of housing
- preserving the existing rental housing stock
- public accountability and progress reporting
By affirming the housing pledge and implementing the initiatives described in the report, the City will continue to take significant steps toward transforming the delivery of new homes. There are also factors, noted in the report, outside the City’s control that affect the construction of new housing supply and require additional support from other orders of government and the active participation of the development and community sectors.
Addressing Toronto’s complex housing challenges necessitates a whole-of-government and whole-of-community approach. Increasing the housing supply in Toronto requires new policies, programs, and financial tools from all orders of government, as well as the development industry and housing providers.
Council-adopted staff report on Toronto’s Municipal Housing Pledge is available on the City’s website.
“This Housing Pledge demonstrates that the City of Toronto is serious about getting more housing built as quickly as possible. We are demonstrating to all orders of government, stakeholders and community leaders that we are doing everything we can to achieve and exceed the completion of 285,000 homes. The City’s Housing Action Plan outlines the actions we are taking to support more homes being built in Toronto and we look forward to partnering with the provincial and federal governments, as well as the development sector and local communities to realize this goal together.”
– Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park)
