"My top priority is my five-point plan to deliver more, new affordable housing, more quickly, for the people who need it most and delivers more affordable rental units than any other candidate’s plan."
Mitzie Hunter
Question from TRREB
Q1: In your opinion, what are the two greatest challenges facing the City of Toronto today?
candidate response
The city we call home is becoming so unaffordable that people fear they won’t be able to stay here, or their children will be forced to move away because they cannot find an affordable place to live. That the city even seems unable to provide the basic services that we all count on, from transit that is frequent and not overcrowded, to clean streets in good repair and cleared of snow in a timely manner, and safe neighbourhoods with support for people who need help. My Plan to Fix the Six provides the path to make sure Toronto is a city that works for everyone. My firm commitment to everyone in our city is that as mayor I will strive every single day to make Toronto a city that works for everyone.
Q2: If elected, will you support and accelerate the commitments made in the 2023 Housing Action Plan, including ending municipal exclusionary zoning by-laws and policies in Toronto that will allow and encourage more medium-density housing and purpose-built rental units?
Yes
Q3: If elected, would you support reducing approval times and other red tape barriers that limit the building of new housing in Toronto, thereby speeding up development?
Yes
Q4: If elected, would you push for more investment in critical infrastructure, such as transportation, to facilitate growth and housing by finding creative ways to secure funding from the provincial and federal governments?
Yes
Q5: If elected, would you commit to capping municipal costs added to new housing in order to limit further affordability erosion, and instead work together with the higher levels of government in finding new and sustainable funding mechanisms?
Yes
Q6: The City’s biggest and main source of revenue is property taxes. What would you support by way of annual property tax increases to maintain and/or improve the current services and programs the City provides?
Between 2 and 5%
Q7: If elected, would you be willing to explore reform or adjustments to the Municipal Land Transfer Tax in Toronto? This might include increasing the first-time buyer rebate and indexing the MLTT rebate and tax thresholds to account for housing price inflation.
Unsure
Q8: If you become the next mayor of Toronto, what is your top priority that you want to accomplish in the first 100 days in office?
We are in a housing crisis. Buying a home in Toronto is now out of reach for all but the wealthiest. My top priority is my five-point plan to deliver more, new affordable housing, more quickly, for the people who need it most and delivers more affordable rental units than any other candidate’s plan. This include a new Toronto Affordable Housing Corporation to unlock city lands; opening up the missing middle; adding apartments on major streets and near campuses; speeding up building approvals and construction; and protecting renters and saving current affordable housing.
If elected, will you use the “strong mayor powers” to modify the budget to pay for your key priorities?
No
