Toronto city council rejects proposed changes to Willowdale supportive housing plan

Toronto city council rejected proposed changes to a long-proposed modular housing project in Willowdale on Thursday evening, despite a councillor citing concerns for the well-being of nearby seniors if it goes ahead as outlined.

The project at 175 Cummer Avenue, which involves assembling pre-fabricated pieces together on site, is meant to provide supportive housing quickly, creating at least 59 homes as part of the city's goal of getting people out of shelters or encampments and into homes.

City council formally announced the project at 175 Cummer Avenue in February 2022. But the project drew concerns from Coun. Lily Cheng, who told CBC Toronto the idea of modular housing on the site has been a "sensitive issue" for the immediate community, which includes seniors living in Willowdale Manor and Cummer Lodge Long-Term Care Home, adjacent to the site.

Cheng proposed two motions, one of which was withdrawn Thursday and then replaced with a new motion that called for a non-profit to operate the new building, a multilingual community liaison committee to address concerns and increasing green space available for the seniors who live nearby. 

The remaining motion proposed the project be moved to a new site.

The motion that proposed the site be moved was voted on first, and failed 2-18. The other motion was broken up into three sections, and council voted on each element. The potential non-profit operation of the building failed at 6-14, the community liaison aspect of the motion lost due to a tie and the further green space for seniors failed at 8-12. 

In a statement to CBC Toronto, Cheng said the city "lost an opportunity to build bridges towards a faster path to housing the unhoused while taking care of our vulnerable seniors."

Prior to the vote, Cheng told council that the seniors with concerns need to be taken seriously. 

"It's been a disservice to the seniors, to the 59 people who could have been housed, as well as taxpayers," she said. "The seniors never had a chance to have their voices heard in their language about something that affects their living space." Online meetings and an anonymous hotline provide by the city were not sufficient, she said. 

Cheng ran on the issue in the fall 2022 election, saying she would fight to make sure the voices of seniors are heard.

But Coun. Brad Bradford said that while Cheng has been working hard to represent her constituents, council can't change its position now. 

There will be opportunities later to implement a community liaison and help nearby seniors cope with neighbourhood change, he said. 

Critics called motions a delay tactic

Advocates had criticized Cheng's motions for potentially delaying the project further. But Cheng said that wasn't her aim. 

Coun. Gord Perks said, "I think Coun. Cheng is quite wrong here. Council has spoken firmly and clearly that we should do everything that we can to clear hurdles to get people into supportive housing."

Housing advocates were also disappointed by the motions.

"This is really just the textbook nimbyism that has led us into a housing crisis," said Eric Lombardi of More Neighbours Toronto.

"This is not really about a concern for green space. This is not about the concern for the elderly…the councillor isn't being sincere," he said. 

Mark Richardson, the technical lead of the housing advocacy group HousingNowTO said he thinks "seniors are being used as a bit of a puppet and a bit of a pawn by political people in that neighbourhood."

Project currently on hold amid appeal

He says seeing these motions "at the eleventh hour, after these boxes for the modular housing have already been there ready to go for a couple of years is disappointing, but it's unsurprising."

"Everybody has a reason why they don't want the affordable housing near them," he said. "If we're serious about delivering affordable housing, that's not a choice anymore."

The project is presently on hold amid a pending appeal case at the Ontario Land Tribunal brought by a group of local residents unhappy about the project in August 2022. Meanwhile, the city is paying thousands of dollars to store the materials to build the project off-site.

City council had asked the province for a ministerial zoning order (MZO) to shorten the planning approval time frame in 2021, but so far has not been granted one.