The More Homes Built Faster…

The More Homes Built Faster plan is misguided and short-sighted. The main problem with housing in Ontario is not a lack of new constructions, but a lack of affordable, stable housing. With the rise of short-term rentals like AirBnB, long-term tenants are being pushed out of their homes either seasonally or permanently as landlords seek to increase their profits with short-term rental units instead. First-time home buyers are also being pushed out of the market as those with increased resources buy up starter homes to either use as second/vacation homes, or to rent out as AirBnB-style short-term rentals.

Besides the problems with short-term rentals taking over the market, the cost of long-term rentals has increased dramatically in the past several years. Apartments have doubled in price in some places, with the average rent in Ontario nearing $2000/month. This is simply not feasible for most Ontarians working average jobs, and especially not feasible for those who are unable to work. For example, a person living on ODSP in Northern Ontario will generally receive about $750/month in rent support. With few apartments or even room rentals available for less than $1000/month, these people are being left with few to no options for accommodation and many are left homeless. The problem is not that homes are not physically available; it is that they are not financially accessible to most Ontarians.

While some new construction may be necessary to support Ontario's growing population, the answer is not to develop Ontario's best farmland and most important areas of biodiversity. To do so in a time of climate crisis is foolhardy, short-sighted, and downright dangerous. The More Homes Built Faster plan recommends reducing "the bureaucratic costs and red tape that are delaying construction and pushing home prices even higher", while failing to acknowledge that the red tape in question is due to important ecological considerations that were put in place for a reason. To disregard those safeguards in the name of increasing access to housing is completely irresponsible. We might increase housing, but we will greatly decrease Ontarian's quality of life as well as the health of our province's natural resources and capacity to feed ourselves.

A better solution would be to look at increasing the amount of housing available in our cities that already exist. We should consider building up, not out, making more densely-populated cities and working to enhance the resources that already exist there. With more and more companies moving to remote employment, the number of high-rise commercial buildings in downtown cores will continue to increase. This provides a remarkable opportunity to convert these spaces to multi-unit housing buildings. From a sociological perspective, if we were to encourage the development of mixed-income housing units, this would provide Ontarians from all walks of life with better access to affordable housing, all while decreasing the stigma often associated with lower-income housing areas.

There are so many solutions available to us that do not involve paving over Ontario's most important and sensitive green space. I strongly encourage our government to reconsider its foolish plan, to listen to Ontarians, and to do the right thing that will support the health and wellbeing of Ontarians for generations to come.