A City of Toronto staff report is recommending City Council make a housing pledge to achieve or exceed the provincial housing target of 285,000 new Toronto homes by 2031. The 285,000 home target is an ambitious goal and a call to action for the City, other orders of government and stakeholders.
At its meeting on Thursday, April 27, the Planning and Housing Committee will consider the staff report recommending Council endorse Toronto’s Municipal Housing Pledge, as requested by Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The report also describes the strategies and actions the City will be implementing to achieve the target through the Housing Action Plan 2022-2026 and HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan. Following Committee, the report will go before Council at its May meeting.
The proposed actions and strategies outlined in the Housing Action Plan include:
The housing target of 285,000 homes by 2031 represents a 23 per cent increase in Toronto’s housing supply within 10 years. Meeting this target would mean the completion of 31,050 homes per year, approximately double the average number of units built annually between 2017 to 2021.
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. However, the report also notes factors outside of the City’s control that impact the construction of new housing supply and will require additional support from other orders of government and the active participation of the development and community sectors.
Addressing Toronto’s complex housing challenges requires 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.
The staff report on Toronto’s Municipal Housing Pledge is available on the City’s website.
More information about the City’s HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan is available on the plan’s webpage.
Quotes:
“The City of Toronto supports getting more housing built. We have already taken action as a City government to speed up housing approvals and do everything we can to support more homes being built. Committing to the Housing Pledge is another important step. We are demonstrating to all orders of government, stakeholders and community leaders that we are serious about achieving and exceeding the completion of 285,000 homes. The City will do everything in its power to accomplish this ambitious target 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)
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