Toronto vows to build 65,000 rent-controlled homes in bid to combat housing crisis
Toronto City Council has endorsed an ambitious new affordable housing plan that will set out to build 65,000 rent-controlled homes by 2030— but still lacks billions of dollars in funding.
“It is cheaper to build housing for people, rather than put them in shelters,” Mayor Olivia Chow stressed on the floor of council Wednesday.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Chow touted the $31-billion dollar plan to unlock public land and increase affordable housing targets — in which the city would act as a public builder, alongside non-profits and other levels of government.
“The inability to access safe and secure housing is actually tearing our communities apart,” Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik told CTV News Toronto.
“What we're moving forward today on, is the city stepping up to the urgency and the responsibility within our power to be able to address that.”
The plan seeks to construct 41,000 affordable rentals, 6,500 rent-geared-to-income homes, and 17,500 rent-controlled market homes in the next seven years — which some councillors argued has not been doable through the private sector.
“There is no magic unicorn coming to produce housing,” Coun. Dianne Saxe said during the debate.
Coun. Brad Bradford, who ran against Chow in the mayoral by-election, questioned the City’s ability to act as a public builder.
“The idea that it would be easier, faster and less expensive for government to do that? I think folks who have been around here long enough would certainly suggest that that's not going to be a desirable outcome.”
“We can't be risk-averse when it comes to housing,” Coun. Paula Fletcher argued. “There are so many people that need affordable housing in this city.”
The plan, though, hinges on billions of dollars in government grants. Up to $800 million would be required every year from both Ottawa and Queen’s Park.
The province has vowed to work on a new fiscal deal with Toronto, with the federal government last week agreeing to a seat at the table in those discussions.
“The ball is in the federal government's court,” Chow said Wednesday. “And that ball has been there for a while.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
Yemen's Houthi rebels claim downing U.S. Reaper drone, release footage showing wreckage of aircraft
Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Britney Spears settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father, finally bringing ultimate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.