NDP to Wynne: Take the time to get Inclusionary Zoning right

NDP calls for extension of consultation period on IZ regulations

The Ontario NDP is calling on Kathleen Wynne to extend the consultation period and hear feedback on proposed inclusionary zoning regulations – announced quietly by the Liberal government just a few days before Christmas.

“Kathleen Wynne’s inclusionary zoning regulations fall far short of what is needed to reverse the crisis in access to affordable housing in Ontario,” said NDP MPP for Toronto-Danforth Peter Tabuns. “Announcing these regulations just before the holidays and not allowing for input and debate is unacceptable. Kathleen Wynne should immediately extend the consultation period to allow for proper public input – families are depending on us to get this right.”

There are currently 181,000 individuals and families are on the waiting list for affordable housing. Parents have no hope of raising their kids in the neighbourhood where they grew up - and too many people simply have no options for safe, affordable housing. The proposed Liberal 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.

“Kathleen Wynne is letting people down, again, when it comes to finding and being able to afford a home,” said Tabuns. “That’s why it’s so important that the public has a chance to weigh in on these regulations – they need to be better.”

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.