May 31, 2019 Honourable…

May 31, 2019

Honourable Minister Steve Clark,

Thank you for the opportunity to submit a comment on Bill 108, The More Homes, More Choices Act. As the largest non-governmental supporter of social services in the region, United Way is dedicated to creating the opportunities to help vulnerable people improve their lives across Ontario.

We appreciate your desire to make housing more affordable with this bill as unaffordable housing and homelessness are unignorable issues for our province. The agreements with private developers that are discussed in this bill have played an important role in contributing to community and social infrastructure. They have played an essential role in building strong, inclusive neighbourhoods, such as those supported by United Way’s Building Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy. For this reason, we believe that the process should be approached carefully and deliberately and with the appropriate engagement and consultation.

Through roles in The Peel Alliance to End Homelessness, the York Region Homelessness Community Advisory Board, and the External Advisory Committee for HousingTO in Toronto, United Way has worked with partners across sectors to ensure that everyone can get a leg up while Ontario remains open for business. We’ve heard back from people in our communities that they are having a hard time moving ahead because of their backgrounds and our research confirms it. Where people come from and where they live impacts their ability to contribute back to the economy.

And we know this is a challenge that we can overcome by working together – the social services sector with business and government all at the table can ensure that Bill 108 rolls out smartly and efficiently. We’ve worked across sectors before to make great things happen – we built seven community hubs that have been one stop shops for services. These hubs have been built from Rexdale to Dorset Park and are expanding to places like Markham and Malton.

Affordable housing and the employment and housing opportunities that are associated with community benefit agreements provide the kinds of opportunities that people need to get ahead in Ontario and we would welcome more clarity around the definition of community benefits. At United Way, we bring people together from every sector to ensure that those who need the most help, get it. As such, we encourage you to consider us a resource that is happy to share knowledge, experiences and our unique tie to community.

Sincerely,

Pedro Barata
Senior Vice President, Community Impact & Strategy
United Way Greater Toronto