Housing affordability remains a serious issue in Toronto and the GTA.
Residents want a concrete plan from the next mayor that will offer actionable solutions to create more housing options.
An Open Letter from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board to the voters of toronto.
On behalf of 70,000 REALTORS® living and doing business in Toronto and GTA, TRREB is asking Toronto voters to send a message to all candidates that Toronto must fight to keep housing affordable in our city.
Torontonians want action on more housing options.
Torontonians are giving City Council failing grades on housing affordability, according to a new poll from Ipsos, one of Canada’s top research firms. The poll also shows housing and the cost of living as top issues for voters heading into the June mayoral by-election.
Top Issues For Torontonians
Cost of Living
0%
Affordability of housing
0%
Crime
0%
Safety on public transit
0%
Jobs and the economy
0%
Other Key Findings
0%
are concerned about their ability to afford living in Toronto
0%
are concerned about their ability to buy a home, rising to 91% among likely buyers
0%
are concerned the next generation won't be able to buy a home in Toronto
0%
are concerned about affordability of rental units (56% are very concerned)
Toronto Mayoralty Housing Debate
On May 24th, TRREB partnered with RESCON and several industry organizations to host the Toronto Mayoralty Housing Debate. During the event, the leading candidates share their priorities & solutions to the housing affordability & supply crisis facing our City.
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toronto needs solutions.
residents want a concrete plan from mayoral candidates that will offer actionable solutions to create more housing options.
Making home energy audits a mandatory condition of sale could make current housing affordability challenges
even worse.
Potential delays in access to audit professionals Could Stall the Sale and Purchase of a Home.
Solution: voluntary audits
Energy Audits are a great tool to combat climate change, but we have to make sure that new initiatives don’t have
unintended consequences for other priorities. We need to Make Energy Audits Voluntary, ideally as
part of the current home inspection process.
A Complex planning and development approval Process creates roadblocks to building housing.
This Makes Homes Increasingly Expensive.
Solution: Reduce Red Tape
A Complex Planning and development approval process, Outdated Restrictions on housing types in existing neighbourhoods and Inadequate Infrastructure are all partly to blame for the lack of housing supply, which in turn Is Making Homes Increasingly Expensive.
The current supply of homes available to buy or rent can’t meet the demand from our Growing Population.
and that’s driving up prices.
SOLUTION: Avoid or Minimize Taxes
Existing and new Land Transfer Taxes Can discourage move-up buyers from listing
their homes for sale because they choose to stay put and renovate instead. Government-imposed fees and charges currently add up to 31 per cent of the purchase price of a home across the GTA.
More transit will be required to properly support population growth and higher density neighbourhoods across the gta.
More Infrastructure is the key to more housing options.
Solution: MORE INFRASTRUCTURE
New Transit and transportation services will Allow for Higher Density and Mixed-Use Communities which means more housing options for more of us.
BY RESTRICTING WHAT TYPE OF HOUSING CAN BE BUILT, MUNICIPALITIES ARE LIMITING THE OPTIONS OF HOUSING THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE FUTURE.
Solution: NO EXCLUSIONARY ZONING
Toronto needs to End Exclusionary Zoning to support the as-of-right building of multi-home projects such as duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes on single lots while streamlining and accelerating the review of these projects.