To the Ontario Ministry of…

To the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs regarding EBR Registry posting number 013-1977:

Daily Bread Food Bank is a non-profit organization that provides food and support to almost 200 food programs and 136 member agencies across Toronto. We welcome the opportunity to comment on the proposed regulations under the Planning Act related to inclusionary zoning, posted on the Environmental Registry. The legislation introduced in 2016 that would permit municipalities to enact Inclusionary Zoning by-laws was a promising development that would potentially enable cities like Toronto to have another policy tool at their disposal to help address our current crisis of housing affordability. Unfortunately, the current regulations as proposed are unlikely to help create more affordable rental housing, and the needs of low income households – the group buckling the most under the pressure of shelter costs – are not addressed. Last year alone there were over 990,000 visits to Daily Bread’s member agencies and to North York Harvest food banks. Food banks in the former inner suburbs are bursting at the seams, seeing a nearly 70 per cent increase in client demand since 2008 – an increase that can be directly attributed to skyrocketing rents. As Daily Bread’s research shows, those accessing food banks spend on average 70 per cent of their income on rent, and many report skipping meals to afford TTC fare in order to get to jobs or doctors’ appointments. We urge the province to adjust these regulations so that they enable the development of more rental properties in order to help address the housing crisis in our city. It is not an unreasonable goal that people – regardless of their level of income – should be able to afford to rent a decent home near to where they work, go to school, and access essential goods and services. We also urge the province to enable municipalities to have the flexibility to designate the maximum level of affordable units (maximum caps) depending on need of various communities, in addition to setting minimum caps so as to adequately disperse the supply across the province. When it comes to increasing the availability of affordable housing, there is no silver bullet. Indeed, properly crafted Inclusionary Zoning needs to be an essential part of a range of policy tools that can help address the escalating housing crisis in the City of Toronto. Making the aforementioned adjustments can further demonstrate the Province’s commitment to improving not only the lives of the most vulnerable but also the growing number of middle-income earners who are being squeezed out of both the rental and home ownership markets in Toronto. Done right, Inclusionary Zoning will help ensure cities like Toronto remain resilient, accessible, and inclusive for everyone regardless of income.

Sincerely

Neil Hetherington

CEO, Daily Bread Food Bank

[Original Comment ID: 212331]