Toronto Confronts Severe Housing Shortage

New City Committee’s Strategy to Address the Issue

Toronto is grappling with a severe housing shortage, and a new city committee aims to address this issue under the leadership of Mayor Olivia Chow. This committee is tasked with alleviating housing scarcity, making homes more affordable, and achieving the city’s broader goal of constructing 285,000 homes by 2031.

Comprising members who both supported and opposed Mayor Chow during her election, the committee’s potential to work cohesively is questioned. However, Mayor Chow believes that diverse perspectives can foster innovation and collaboration.

The committee, chaired by Coun. Gord Perks and vice-chaired by former chair and city planner Coun. Brad Bradford, is committed to fulfilling Mayor Chow’s pledge of building 25,000 rent-controlled homes over eight years. While this is an ambitious objective, Perks asserts that addressing the housing crisis is crucial for Toronto’s success.

Mayor Chow’s initial priorities for the committee include resolving existing private developer contracts, utilizing city land for non-profit developers, and preventing tenant evictions. Perks’ focus is on hiring staff, maximizing current programs, expanding low-income housing through various means, and enhancing tenant protections.

Despite differing with Mayor Chow’s approach, Bradford aims to support her initiatives. He intends to facilitate housing development by streamlining zoning processes and reducing approval timelines.

Advocacy group More Neighbors Toronto emphasizes the urgency of housing construction over who builds it. The group wants accelerated construction to mitigate rising rents and housing prices.

In essence, Toronto’s new committee, led by Mayor Chow, is determined to tackle the housing shortage through collaborative efforts, diverse strategies, and streamlined processes to meet ambitious housing goals.

MBE is highly active in creating social awareness through social media with regards to social distancing measures and how necessary they have been in the current pandemic. Our goal is to act as a catalyst in helping the Government through tough times and enable them to bounce back from problematic scenarios.

With most restrictions now lifted, it is next to impossible to get back the business they have lost during the 25 months of the pandemic.