Re: Bill 108, More Homes,…

Re: Bill 108, More Homes, More Choices Act 019-0016, The Planning Act; Request for an extended consultation period

On behalf of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) we are pleased to have the opportunity to continue our engagement and consultation on the Ontario Housing Strategy, specifically Bill 108, More Homes, More Choices Act. As the recognized voice of the Ontario tourism industry we are diligently working to ensure that all strategies to address the provincial housing crisis, reflect the multifaceted needs of our sector.

The tourism industry of Ontario employs more youth than any other industry in the province, with 23% of our workforce aged 15-23. According to the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario’s 2018 report, over 50% of Ontario households aged 25-34 rent their home, and 48% of Ontario renters make less than $40,000 a year, and nearly half of Ontario renters pay unaffordable rental housing costs. For the tourism industry to continue to grow and keep pace with the global expansion rates, we require protections to ensure our workforce has access to secure, stable and affordable rental housing. Therefore regarding the proposed changes to the Planning Act we recommend the following:

•We request the Province to permit municipalities to utilize the inclusionary zoning provisions of the Planning Act in broader situations than the proposed protected major transit station and development permit system areas.

TIAO is recognized as the voice of the tourism industry of Ontario and we are proud to represent the
interests of Ontario’s powerful tourism industry that contributes more than $5 billion annually in tax
revenues for the government of Ontario, meaning that the total economic contribution of tourism is larger than agriculture, forestry, and mining combined.

As the recognized voice of our industry, we look forward to continued opportunities to consult with the
provincial government to support the reduction of red tape in order to ensure the tourism industry reaches its full potential as an economic driver. Bill 108, More Homes, More Choices Act is incredibly comprehensive in that it proposes amendments to 13 different statutes across multiple ministries in the provincial government. As such, we request an extension to the consultation period before the current date of June 1st. This will provide more time to review the proposed amendments that impact the Ontario tourism industry.