Toronto city council approves new affordable housing plan

Toronto city council has approved an ambitious plan to build affordable housing in the city.

Councillors voted 24 to 1 on Wednesday in favour of a plan that would see the city aim to build 65,000 new rent-controlled homes built by 2030. The total includes 6,500 rent-geared-to income, 41,000 affordable rental and 17,500 rent-controlled market homes. Coun. Stephen Holyday voted against the plan.

Mayor Olivia Chow said before the vote that the plan represents a "general shift" in the city's approach to building housing.

"One of the most significant items on council today is building affordable housing. I am so excited to finally come to council and get approval for the roadmap," Chow said.

"This roadmap will identify exact sites. Where are we going to be building? It would identify how we're going to do it, when we're going to do it, and who will be doing it."

To date, funding has only been secured for 4,455 of those homes. The report said the cost to deliver the remaining 60,545 homes is between $28.6 billion and $31.5 billion — leaving an estimated $3.7 billion and $5.3 billion in funding required from both the provincial and federal governments.

Under the plan, the city would act as a "public builder," leading the development of five sites throughout the downtown core.

In a news release on Wednesday, the city said: "The report provides a roadmap to strengthen Toronto's housing system by building more homes faster, increasing housing affordability and establishing a stronger role for government in the housing system."

The city said in the release that the plan would focus on:

• Dedicating more city-owned land for affordable rental housing.
• Accelerating housing-ready projects on city-owned and non-profit-owned land.
• Streamlining processes to expedite approvals and housing delivery.
• Establishing new and sustainable funding models.
• Supporting an increased role for Indigenous, non-profit and cooperative housing providers.

"To effectively address the housing crisis, the government needs to get back into the business of building homes. This shift will increase housing supply and affordability," Chow said in the release.

Council to request to open armouries for emergency shelter

Council also approved on Wednesday a new 10-year capital plan aimed at fundamentally changing the way the city operates its shelters for people experiencing homelessness. City staff recently reported that over half of Toronto's shelter spaces are not financially sustainable.

In addition, council decided that it will ask city staff to explore the idea of using of city-owned land for "permanent and temporary supportive homes, considering rapid construction techniques including modular and micro-shelter and housing options."

Council also decided it will request that the federal government open armouries in Toronto to provide "emergency safe, indoor spaces" for unhoused people this winter.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, council is expected to mull a recommendation from the executive committee that the city expand a program in which mental health experts instead of police respond to calls involving people in crisis to all 25 wards.

In an October report, city staff said the Toronto Community Crisis Service should become the fourth municipal emergency service in the city. The other three are Toronto Fire Services, Toronto Paramedic Services and the Toronto Police Service.

Currently, the service provides access to care to residents in 64 per cent of the city's wards, or four pilot areas — downtown east, downtown west, northwest and northeast. The service is in its second year of a three-year pilot that sends 911 and 211 mental health calls to specialized community partners in designated zones.

Other notable items that city council will consider:

• Advancing the Waterfront East LRT. The multi-billion dollar light-rail train proposed to connect the developed Port Lands to downtown remains unfunded.
• A report from Transportation Services outlining the city's near-term plan to ease traffic headaches amid unprecedented levels of construction. The strategy relies on using the latest technology, as well as some tried and true techniques, to improve traffic flows for all road users.
• A motion from Coun. Chris Moise to implement automated traffic enforcement in the King Street Pilot zone.
• A motion from Coun. Stephen Holyday to have city staff report on the origins and meaning of the Etobicoke coat of arms. Staff have already initiated a process of removing the coat of arms from several places of prominence after repeated complaints from some city departments and members of the public that it perpetuates anti-Indigenous stereotypes.

Three days have been scheduled for the city council meeting, and given the number of important items on the agenda, it is expected to run through to Friday.

Last week, the city kicked off its 2024 budget consultations. You can find information on how to have your say in that process here.