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City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:
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News Release

June 27, 2024

Toronto City Council takes action to strengthen the community housing sector, build more rental homes and protect renters

Toronto City Council has approved recommendations in staff reports that will improve housing stability for Toronto’s renters by protecting them against renovictions; help the non-profit, co-operative and Indigenous housing sector acquire and build more rental homes; and increase their capacity to maintain and manage their housing stock.

Rental Housing Supply Program
The Rental Housing Supply Program proposes a framework to support a range of rental homes from construction start and through completion. This new program replaces the City’s Open Door Affordable Rental Housing Program to support the City in achieving its goal of creating 65,000 rent-controlled homes including 6,500 rent-geared-to-income (RGI) homes by 2030.

Key actions of the report include:
• Allocating approximately $351 million in capital funding to 18 affordable rental housing projects, enabling construction to start in 2024 and 2025. This investment will help almost 6,000 new rental homes including 2,600 affordable rental and 3,380 rent-controlled homes stuck in pre-development phases move forward with construction.
• Piloting a Community Housing Pre-development Fund to support non-profit, co-op and Indigenous housing providers to advance new projects.
• Implementing the City of Toronto’s income-based definition of affordable rental housing which shifts the definition of affordable from a market-based approach to an income-based one.
• Supporting the creation of rent-controlled homes delivered by community housing providers with rents of no more than 150 per cent of the City’s Average Market Rent, and limits on annual rent increases.
• Establishing a framework to allocate up to $260,000 per unit in capital funding for new RGI and affordable rental homes.

Information on the Rental Housing Supply Program report and RGI housing is available on the City’s website: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.PH13.8.

Community Housing Sector Modernization and Growth Strategy
Community Housing (or non-market housing) in Toronto is a critical component of Toronto’s housing system serving low- and moderate-income households. Community Housing refers to social and affordable housing that is owned and/or operated by non-profits, co-operatives, Indigenous housing providers, Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) and Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation (TSHC). The City is strengthening this sector through a new Community Housing Modernization and Growth Strategy which aims to help the sector, maintain their homes and keep them affordable;
• acquire more homes that can be converted to affordable homes permanently; and
• build capacity to grow their housing stock to respond to the growing need for RGI and affordable rental homes.

As part of the strategy, City Council endorsed several updates to the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition (MURA) program which provides City funding and incentives to support the acquisition of private market rental housing by non-profit housing providers, Indigenous housing providers, co-operatives and community land trusts. These enhancements, together with a $30 million increase in MURA’s budget in 2024, will support community housing providers in acquiring an additional 1,000 rental homes under the Program, tripling their capacity to secure affordable homes.

The third annual Request for Proposals (RFP) under MURA will be released and posted on the City’s website in July 2024: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/community-partners/affordable-housing-partners/open-requests-for-proposals/.

Information on the Community Housing Sector Modernization and Growth Strategy report, including enhancements to the MURA program, is available on the City’s website: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.PH13.9

Renovictions Bylaw Implementation
There is a growing trend of renovictions in Toronto, where a landlord illegitimately evicts a tenant by alleging that vacant possession of a rental unit is needed to make renovations or repairs. This results in the displacement of tenants, the permanent loss of affordable market rental housing, and contributes to rising homelessness in Toronto.

Toronto is taking steps to protect tenants against renovictions. This week, City Council adopted a report directing the implementation of a renovictions bylaw for the city of Toronto. Staff were also directed to consult on the development of the bylaw and report back to Planning and Housing Committee in October 2024 with a final proposed renovictions bylaw for Toronto. The proposed design of a Toronto renovictions bylaw will require landlords to:
• apply for a Renovation Licence before starting renovations;
• submit a report showing a need for vacant possession of the unit to do the renovations; and
• providing compensation or an accommodation plan for tenants, where applicable.

City Council also requested the Province of Ontario take concrete action to protect tenants by proclaiming into law Bill 97, the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act; and amending the Residential Tenancies Act to re-introduce rent control on units first occupied after November 15, 2018, as well as vacancy control to preserve private affordable rental homes and reduce the incentive for landlords to illegitimately evict tenants.

Information on the Renovictions Policy Implementation report is available on the City’s website: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2024.PH13.7.

The supplementary report can be found on the City’s website: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/cc/bgrd/backgroundfile-247174.pdf

The measures approved by City Council will help respond to the city’s housing and homelessness crises while enabling a shift in Toronto’s housing system to deliver more RGI, affordable rental and rent-controlled homes and enhance the community housing sector’s capacity.

City Council’s approval of these reports highlights the City's vision for Toronto where families and individuals live in safe, well-maintained and affordable homes with respect and dignity and where people have equal opportunities to succeed.

Quotes:

“Today we took big steps towards transforming our housing system to benefit the people of Toronto. We’re launching a program to start a non-profit and co-op housing boom. We’re expanding MURA to help purchase more affordable homes and keep them affordable forever. We’re moving forward on new policies to protect renters from renoviction. All these changes will help build more affordable homes and protect renters.”
– Mayor Olivia Chow

“I’m thrilled to see the City of Toronto addressing and prioritizing housing challenges. Today, we’re pioneering a path forward to achieve a more equitable and inclusive city. Implementing these systemic shifts in how we approach housing is the only way to truly support our residents.”
– Councillor Gord Perks (Parkdale-High Park), Chair, Planning and Housing Committee

Toronto is home to more than three million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture, innovation and climate action and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit www.toronto.ca or follow us on X at x.com/cityoftoronto, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cityofto.

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Media contact: Media Relations, media@toronto.ca

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