Ontario continues to face a housing supply shortage along with affordability concerns.

To tap into expert opinions on this critical issue, we invited Steve Adler, Senior Director of Public Affairs at NATIONAL Public Relations, and John Michael McGrath, columnist, reporter, and podcaster at TVO.org, to TRREB’s Ready to Real Estate podcast.

Together they discussed Ontario’s housing crisis and the province’s recent efforts to address supply and affordability alongside our podcast host Jason Mercer, TRREB Chief Market Analyst.

Removal of Appeal Rights

Bill 185 is the next step to building more affordable homes. There’s a huge “not in my backyard” (NIMBYism) focus in Ontario, and Bill 185 should allow shovels to get in the ground quicker, if third-party appeals are eliminated.

John Michael suggests that with the elimination of third-party appeals, we will see more first-party appeals putting up the same barriers to building affordable housing. “If your specific property is affected by a zoning change, you still have the right to appeal a change to the Ontario Land Tribunal.”

Market Housing vs. Affordable Housing

Ontario needs more affordable housing. Steve explains that affordable housing is not a $4,000 per month unit rented for $3,500. It’s rent geared to income.

The policy changes are enabling more affordable housing to be built. “It’s not an eight-storey building with 80 units, it’s a true integrated community,” says Steve. This includes building a community with condominiums and rentals all in one place. 

Municipalities are also working to address the need for affordable housing. We are seeing municipalities and the provincial government implement integrated policies of transportation, infrastructure, and affordable housing. Coordinated policies will help us progress toward achieving truly affordable housing.   

The Missing Middle

TRREB has advocated for the government to go all in on innovative building techniques like modular homes to lead the way in housing affordability.

“The idea of bringing in plexes, wood frame construction, and even prefab construction, is that you’re bringing in these larger units at a lower cost to produce and then ultimately at a lower price point,” adds Jason.

“We’re at the point now where we need to stop talking about what we need and start building it,” Steve says. “Ontarians don’t want to see another study of what to do.”

All levels of government need to work together to implement these reforms and ideas before it’s too late.

To learn more about how municipalities are reacting, listen to the latest Ready to Real Estate podcast episode.