NDP: We can make it more affordable to rent in Toronto

Toronto-Danforth MPP Peter Tabuns says that if Kathleen Wynne fixes proposed Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) regulations – the rental market in Toronto can become more affordable:

“In light of news that Toronto has become the most expensive rental market in Canada – now outpacing Vancouver – I am once again calling on Kathleen Wynne to spark more affordable housing development by fixing her disappointing Inclusionary Zoning regulations so that they effectively tackle the growing crisis in housing affordability in our city.

Wynne has an opportunity in front of her to make housing more affordable, and she’s choosing to take the side of big developers instead of people and families who need an affordable place to live. Inclusionary zoning simply means setting aside a portion of developments to be affordable units – easing the housing squeeze.

Specifically, Wynne must reverse her decision to exclude rental units from IZ requirements. With 181,000 individuals and families on the waiting list for affordable housing, affordable rental units must be part of the solution.

The proposed Liberal regulations not only let down low-income renters – the disappointment extends to those working towards home ownership as well. Currently, proposed IZ regulations set aside just five to 10 per cent of new developments for affordable housing. This will not do enough to ease the affordable housing crisis, and falls short of the 10 to 30 per cent recommended by experts. The regulations also limit the size of developments that fall under IZ rules, they limit where IZ developments can be located and they also require municipalities to subsidize IZ developments – completely defeating the purpose of introducing IZ province-wide.

Kathleen Wynne is letting people down, again, when it comes to being able to afford to buy or rent a home in Toronto. Ontario needs a real plan to build new affordable housing units. That’s why Andrea Horwath and the Ontario NDP have committed to funding one-third of the costs of repairs to current affordable and social housing units in partnership with municipalities and the federal government. Horwath and the NDP have been fighting for a strong inclusionary zoning policy for years and have been adamant that those rules actually work to help alleviate this crisis; the NDP is committed to taking housing affordability seriously.”