big issues:housing
The Know Your Vote T.O. "Big Issues" primers are meant to be starting points for readers to continue their own learning and investigation. Note: Sources include City of Toronto materials, Ontario legislation, and publicly available educational and media resources.
Candidate answers
councillor
Nathen Masri
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Toronto must build faster and protect the people already housed. I’ll challenge abusive AGI rent increases, push approvals from years toward months, and make City Hall a partner—not an obstacle—to building. We need every tool: modular homes, multiplexes, apartments, co-ops, affordable and supportive housing, plus smarter use of City land. My Compassion with Accountability plan will modernize shelters to be deemed as an genuine alternative by Ontario courts and create real pathways from homelessness to housing.
councillor
Chloe Brown
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would prioritize establishing more rent-to-own programs, mandating 30% RGI units for people with disabilities and seniors, build more housing cooperatives and family-sized units, improve the quality of mid-rise housing units above strip plazas for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), increase RentSafeTO's Property Standards Orders (PSOs) enforcement on bad landlords and managers, and improve system navigation with tenant advocacy groups to close gaps between eviction prevention programs and tenants' wellbeing.
councillor
Ian Cunningham
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?The housing crisis is a highly visible issue in Spadina-Fort York. While there is no one size fits all solution, I support more multi-unit family housing where opportunities exist while maintaining cultural and historic integrity of the neighborhood. Partnering with other levels of government to create more social housing through strategic targeted investments with measurable outcomes and accountability. Finally, protecting renters to ensure that evictions are only executed due to legitimate claims and not for reasons related to financial gain.
councillor
Paul Nash
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I'll speed up the construction of affordable and community housing for low-income households. I'll also expand and accelerate partnerships with the provincial and federal governments to increase affordable housing development. For marginalized residents experiencing housing instability, I'll explore new strategies, in collaboration with all three levels of government, to create more affordable and supportive long-term housing solutions.
councillor
Bashar Kassir
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Toronto needs more affordable housing, but affordability is about more than building units. Homes should be places to live first, not simply investment vehicles. I would support responsible growth that adds housing while ensuring infrastructure and public services keep pace. For those experiencing homelessness, the priority should be stable, long-term housing with dignity, supported by appropriate mental-health and other services. The goal should be to help people find and keep a secure home—not simply move them from one place to another.
councillor
Ausma Malik
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?My priority is to support people at all points in their housing journey, by making sure people living outside have referrals to shelter and services to apply for affordable housing, and rent supports to keep people housed. I’ll continue my record of building affordable and supportive housing on City lands across our downtown communities. And the City can’t do it alone. We need to keep partnering with other levels of government to build and with non-profits and land trusts to preserve private affordable rental through the MURA program.
councillor
Husain Neemuchwala
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Housing is the foundation of stability, dignity and opportunity. I would help renters who are going through a crisis by supporting the creation and management of a rent bank, accelerate affordable and supportive housing, and use City-owned land and partnerships to get homes built faster. For people experiencing homelessness, I would prioritize pathways into permanent housing with ongoing support. By listening with empathy and setting measurable goals, I would help more residents find a home, keep it and feel secure in their community.
councillor
Andi Hoàng-Lefranc
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Homes are meant to be lived in and not treated as part of an investment portfolio. To address the City's housing challenges, I would prioritise raising the vacant home tax to 5% and applying it to vacant units in multi-residential apartments. The revenue collected from this increase should be used to bolster the City's Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition program to better support the acquisition, renovation, and refinancing of rental homes by non-profit housing providers, including Indigenous housing providers, co-ops, and community land trusts.
councillor
Paul Viret
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?First and foremost, we need houses, apartments and rental units and we need them yesterday. We don't have time to wait for another condo to take a decade to build, we need small to mid-sized, Mass Timber apartments. These are 20 to 50 units but not tall enough to ruin the city scape around the neighbourhoods they're built in and can go from ground breaking to finished in just a few years. We must also expand the city's existing programs like the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition (MURA) Program to secure properties before private developers do
councillor
Mike Layton
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?City should grow its capacity to build affordable and supportive, eco-friendly, rent-controlled housing on City-owned lands as quickly as possible to address the rent-geared-to-income housing backlog. Grow investments in the MURA program, partnering with groups like the Kensington Market and Chinatown Community Land Trusts in Ward 11 to keep properties in public hands and address speculation. Grow investments in eviction supports and the Rent Bank to keep people housed. Continue securing investments from Province and federal government to build
councillor
Gian Pileri
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would protect affordable rentals through stronger RentSafeTO enforcement, enforceable tenant protections during redevelopment, early housing advice, rent and deposit help, and non-profits buying rental buildings. I would support non-profit and co-op homes near transit and lasting affordability on City land, and work with other governments to fund supportive housing. With councillors and tenant groups, I would press Ontario to reform and improve the Residential Tenancies Act to better protect tenants.
councillor
David Cottrell
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would prioritize keeping people securely housed by protecting renters from unfair displacement, accelerating genuinely affordable and supportive housing, and making better use of existing housing stock. Toronto also needs faster approvals for projects that actually deliver affordability, not just more expensive units. Housing policy should focus on what people can afford, not simply how many units are built.
councillor
Mina Nadimi
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?yes, I agree with housing costs are way high & it is going to be higher to Torontonians for either you Rent or own homes . / Own business unfortunately we have got just very limited answers from all 3 levels of governments . As i did map it out in my platform based on my Door knockings issues. what I will do is has to site down with 3 levels of governments and developers to see what is more beneficial to advance housing development based of future population growth in the years to come.
councillor
Morgan Harris
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?The planning process appears to be broken and this affects all types of housing from private homes to public projects. Example in 2019 the city created HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan. I was invited to a consultation on that plan. Eleven city-owned sites identified for affordable housing. One site - a parking lot at 405 Sherbourne Street. Now seven years later, that site remains a parking lot. How can we build housing on that site before 2030? If it takes 7 or 8 years to start a project that is too long.
councillor
Norman MacLeod
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Know your vote for Norman MacLeod, myself, is for you, my voter. My vision for housing is straightforward. I know our leaders in Provincial Government, a Loyal Blue Club Member. I also attended Jill Dunlop there Housing developers holding together over 2 Billion CAD for Housing. Doug Ford knows my goals. He showed up to exclusively shake my hand in co operation with my intent to run Ward 13 Victory for People. I will use this privilege I paid for with hard cash investment on behalf of Ward13 prior to my Candidacy. Which has also been earned.
councillor
Nicki Ward
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I have past experience of being underhoused. I have professional experience as the CEO of the largest housing co-op in Canada managing housing for 1,000 residents and a $100M capital budget. I understand the need, and I am qualified to make housing work at scale. As councillor I will release surplus municipal property for non-profit and co-op builds, force the TCHC restore properties or transfer them to co-ops. I will lower barriers and costs to encourage condo unit rentals. And I will scrap the tax loopholes that keep homes vacant.
councillor
Curran Stikuts
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Everyone deserves a safe home and the chance to build a life here. I will push for more affordable homes, including housing with on-site support. The City should help nonprofits buy rental buildings and turn unsold condos into affordable housing, and allow sixplexes citywide. I will fight to double the Rent Bank, help tenants facing eviction and make landlords fix unsafe buildings. We also need safer shelters and 24/7 spaces where people can come indoors while we help them find permanent homes.
councillor
Maria Voutsinas
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?This is a complex problem that will require actions from all levels of government. I will work with provincial and federal governments to encourage their investment in housing for all affordability levels with a priority to build housing for low income residents to help them find safe long term housing. I will work with developers to identify and reduce barriers to their investment in new affordable building projects and work with City Council to reduce restrictive zoning laws that prohibit gentle increases in density.
councillor
Maqsood Ahmad
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would work to create safer and affordable homes for renters, families and seniors. I would work with City Council to lower permit fees for legal basement rental units, garden suites and affordable housing. I would support lower building charges for projects that include affordable homes. I would also work to control property tax increases and provide tax and utility bill help for seniors and people with low incomes. I would support first time homebuyers and promote the CMHC MLI Select program to help create more affordable rental homes.
councillor
Dianne Saxe
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?We’ll keep creating new homes; help people keep their homes; and help the unhoused find homes. We’ll make homes more affordable to build, through smart rules, incentives and zoning. We’ll keep growing homes on City land. We’ll protect tenants by enhancing RentSafe, extending Vacant Home Tax to apartment buildings, fighting abusive landlords, and pushing the province for fair rent control. We’ll keep helping the unhoused while protecting communities with well-run shelters like Na-Me-Res and hospital-linked addiction beds.
councillor
Michael Mitchell
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Increase the vacant homes tax. Increase funding for the MURA program. Acquire apartment buildings. Implement real rent control and stop renovictions. Implement the new regulatory framework for multi-tenant houses.
councillor
Mary Fragedakis
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Toronto needs more housing of all kinds, including affordable and supportive housing. We need to make it easier and faster to build while ensuring growth creates strong, livable neighbourhoods. We also need to help people stay housed and move people experiencing homelessness into appropriate housing, with the mental health, addiction and other supports they need.
councillor
Jason Stevens
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?im one of the only councilor candidates in tor dan to show up along with Mayor Chow and former councilor fletcher to NO JETS and try and save Billions which could be used to house the vulnerable
councillor
Denise Walcott
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?My priority would be helping people keep their homes while creating more affordable, supportive and family-sized housing. I would strengthen tenant support, improve RentSafeTO inspections and push for faster enforcement when landlords leave serious repairs unresolved. I would support affordable and supportive housing on suitable public land and protect Toronto’s renoviction rules. New housing should include homes that local renters, seniors and first-time buyers can actually afford.
councillor
Sara Ehrhardt
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would prioritize creating a wide range of housing options from supportive housing, to affordable rentals, market rentals, and new homes and condos to serve all the residents in Toronto-Danforth. This coming term will be especially important as we implement a vision for Ookwemin Minising Island that includes affordable housing and co-ops so we can ensure that the waterfront is for everyone, not just the wealthy.
councillor
Sheena Sharp
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I have designed affordable housing for over 30 years, and have personal experience with the city's approval systems from the outside that can inform improvements. I will speed up housing approvals; favour non-profit housing as owners; push for between-tenant rent control; push for libraries, parks and schools to be built alongside housing; push for the city to develope a plan to end homelessness in 5 years.
councillor
Didi Moffat
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I will tackle Toronto’s housing crisis across three clear fronts: Protect Tenants: Strictly enforce RentSafeTO to stop bad-faith evictions and neglected maintenance, while expanding legal clinics and municipal rent-bank access. Build Non-Market Homes: Use surplus public land (City/TTC) exclusively for 100% affordable, non-profit, and co-op housing, and streamline gentle-density approvals. End Chronic Homelessness: Shift capital from emergency hotel leases into permanent supportive housing with wrap-around mental health care, and fund the TCH
councillor
Jeffery Adamson
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Toronto needs to treat housing as both an affordability issue and a supply issue. There are two groups under increasing pressure: people who have been priced out of home ownership or rental housing, and existing homeowners struggling with rising mortgage and household costs. I would create opportunities that help these two groups. The City can make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to create safe, legal rental units within their properties, helping them offset housing costs while adding more rental homes to Toronto lowering costs.
councillor
Hassan Mubarak Noor Mohamed
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would focus on housing stability from both ends: increasing the supply of purpose-built affordable, supportive housing while helping people stay in the homes they already have. That means using city-owned land, working with non-profit housing providers, improving access to affordable housing, strengthening eviction-prevention supports, and working with provincial and federal partners. Housing policy should also reflect the needs of families, seniors, newcomers and people experiencing homelessness.
councillor
Shelley Carroll
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would prioritize cutting unnecessary City barriers, working with provincial and federal governments and non-profit partners to build more affordable and family-sized housing, and expanding supports that help people move from homelessness into permanent housing. We also need stronger tenant protections and practical measures that help people stay housed. We also need to properly fund the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition (MURA) program, so housing providers can move quickly to preserve affordable homes before they are lost to the market.
councillor
Sabrina Zuniga
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would prioritize removing delays and costs that prevent building housing while protecting local services and green spaces. We need purpose-built rentals, family-sized homes, multi-unit buildings and options allowing seniors to remain in their community. The City must maintain affordable housing and make the application process more transparent and responsive. For residents in need, I support safe supportive housing, mental-health care, and addiction treatment offering a path to stability rather than further addiction.
councillor
Hamid Shakeri
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?We need comprehensive housing strategies from all three levels of government. Toronto's crisis wasn't created by city hall alone; lack of development across Ontario and Canada has overwhelmed our city. The provincial and federal governments must contribute significant funding. We need to cap housing costs at a fair percentage of household income, like 35% for rent or mortgage. Waiting 15 years for social housing is a shame, and seeing homeless individuals everywhere is unacceptable.
councillor
Adam Smith
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?We need more public housing, and to wrest control from the province so we can return to fulsome rent controls and inclusionary zoning. If legally possible, we should expropriate buildings from inadequate landlords, for example 500 Dawes Rd. We need to work with encampments to ensure they are organized and safe and do not prevent others from using parks. Toronto needs to improve TCHC stock, not sell it off.
councillor
Jennie Worden
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?The City can, and should, become a leader in building and maintaining non-market, truly affordable housing. This means we need to act on the repair and renewal backlog at Toronto Community Housing to make more homes available for people on years-long waitlists. We also need to increase the funding for our existing multi-unit residential acquisition (MURA) program which helps the City to purchase existing rent controlled multi-unit buildings that are at risk of being redeveloped.
councillor
Syeda Jaana Ali
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Housing must be affordable, safe and secure. I would prioritize building more affordable and purpose-built rental housing, especially on public land, while protecting existing affordable units from being lost. I would strengthen RentSafeTO enforcement and tenant protections, expand eviction-prevention and rent-bank supports, and increase supportive housing. We also need stronger partnerships with provincial and federal governments so funding, housing supply and income supports work together. The goal: build, protect and prevent homelessness.
councillor
Mohammad Shabani
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Toronto will build housing directly and block corporate landlords to give you a secure place to live. The City Builds: Toronto will build its own apartments—30% low-income, 40% middle-class/co-ops, and 30% market rent—locked in for 99 years. Fast Approvals: Affordable transit-line projects will get approved within 60 days. Stop Renovictions: Non-profits get first rights to buy older buildings before big corporations do. Build Up: We will build timber co-ops on top of big-box stores on transit lines using "Air Right" to build or to pay order
councillor
Jennifer Alexander
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I’d focus on keeping people housed while increasing the supply of affordable homes. That means protecting existing affordable and rental housing, supporting non-profit and mixed-income housing on public land, and advocating for improvements to the MURA process so local community land trusts, co-ops and other community-led groups can compete more effectively to preserve and create affordable housing. We also need stronger tenant protections and supports so people can find and keep a secure home.
councillor
Ariel-Rachel Karokis
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?We need to investigate and reduce Property Tax. As well as, start approving and start building more Homes and Buildings immediately. With more quantity it would ease the pressure from the limited supply we have at the moment.
councillor
Taiba Ahmed
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?As councillor, my focus will be on providing more co-op housing solutions by knocking down legal barriers and waiving development charges on co-op projects. Torontonians need more affordable housing options and the city does not have the financial capacity to build it all by itself. I also want to punish and scrutinize bad landlords and developers who abuse vacancy decontrol to drive up our rents. I will push for stronger SafeTO audits on landlords who continually raid Toronto tenant’s wallets by endlessly driving rents up.
councillor
Krissan Veerasingam
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Expand co-operative, rent-geared-to-income, and non-market housing on almost 100 city owned land that is housing ready or has the potential. Increase the Vacant Home Tax to make sure homes don’t sit empty during a housing crisis, while also fixing the reporting process that incorrectly penalized homeowners. Protect renters by strengthening RentSafe and improving enforcement against negligent landlords. Support gentle density and more housing options for families, including multiplexes, townhomes and laneway suites.
councillor
Donny Morgan
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Housing needs to be affordable and secure. I would focus on building more affordable and subsidized housing, increasing the supply of homes, and helping people stay in their homes by supporting renters who are at risk of eviction. We also need better support for people experiencing homelessness, including housing, mental health and addiction services. Everyone deserves a safe place to call home.
councillor
Dan Lovell
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Affordable Public Housing The cost of housing in Scarborough is in crisis. Toronto needs to restore existing public stock and buy and build additional units. Don't rely on private developers. Build public, highly affordable mass housing.
councillor
Jackson Ho
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?With many condo units currently on the market, Toronto has an opportunity to purchase existing homes and offer them to low-income families at subsidized rents. This could provide housing faster, reduce construction costs, and create long-term public assets. Using existing homes also reduces the environmental impact of new construction, supports housing market stability, and helps distribute affordable housing across Toronto rather than concentrating it in a few developments.
councillor
Sajawal Javed
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Housing must be treated as a basic need, not just a market issue. On Council, I would push for more affordable and rental housing, protect existing affordable homes, and expand supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness. I would also work with provincial and federal partners to bring more funding into Toronto. Most importantly, I want clear targets and public reporting, so residents can see how many homes were created, who they helped, and what was delivered.
councillor
Ashan Fernando
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would prioritize increasing the supply of affordable and supportive housing while speeding up approvals for new homes. (No High Rise Condos, Low Rise Townhouses and low rise apartment buildings). The City should work with provincial and federal partners, non-profits and developers to deliver more affordable rental options and protect existing affordable housing. We must also strengthen homelessness prevention and support services so people can find and keep a stable home. Ward 25 deserves practical action and results.
councillor
Vane Stavrev
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would advocate for renters to the Provincial Government and the Federal Government and ask for Rent Supplement. Also I would advocate for more subsidized housing. Increase homeless shelters.
councillor
Mihaela Andrei
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Everyone deserves a secure home. In our ward, that's the man sleeping in the city parks, the young couple in Mimico priced out of buying, the senior in Long Branch afraid her rent will outrun her pension. To help people find and keep adequate housing, I would fast-track affordable and subsidized units, with the services, transit, schools and parks to support them. I would fight renovictions, expand the rent bank that stops evictions before they happen, hold the line on property taxes and work with local agencies on supportive housing.
councillor
Steve Yuen
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Affordable Housing is NOT exclusive to the those just in need. Affordable Housing is inclusive to every Canadian & ALL Residents in Ward 4! Therefore; my first Engagement would be to ask the Federal Government or OUR Prime Minister Mark Carney ( the former Bank of Canada Governor) to help LOWER THE FEDERAL INTEREST RATE FOR EVERYONE! Current owners, potential rent to ownership will SAVE the Co$t$ of living to further assist increased tax dollar$$ for those ESPECIALLY in need.
councillor
Adam Pham
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Create a rent-to-own program that gives the next generation a realistic path to home ownership. Prioritize City Spending to create 30,000 affordable housing units and make ending homelessness a feasible goal in one term. Reduce property taxes for seniors by up to 25%. By providing affordable taxes, utilities, and a city-run home insurance program, landlords can be incentivized to keep rents affordable for tenants. Creating 30,000 units of affordable rental units within 4 years is achievable.
councillor
Holly Weber
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I support zoning changes for multi-unit, missing middle development, expanding public housing, increasing shelter space and making it easier and cheaper to build – e.g. reduced development costs and faster approvals processes - so we can increase the supply of housing in the city.
councillor
Diana Chan McNally
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would scale the RentSafeTO program to meet the real need of tenants, including by taking real action against bad faith landlords. I would also create more permanently affordable homes by increasing funding for the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition (MURA) program, and build upon the success of Toronto’s Public Builder Model by prioritizing in Parkdale–High Park our community’s greatest housing needs: affordable rentals, accessible units, and family-sized units.
councillor
Vanessa Raponi
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?We need to invest in more affordable and supportive housing. All new developments should have a % deeply affordable units, and we must build family-sized homes (2-3 bedrooms of adequate size). We need social services in place to match folks in transition from encampments/homelessness through shelters through permanent housing to have wraparound supports. All existing tenants must have clear knowledge of their rights, and protection via Tenants Associations and unions. Rent control is essential.
councillor
Conroy Irving
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?While building units is needed it is more about helping people find a home and keeping it. I would support expanding supportive housing, including housing with appropriate mental-health, addiction, employment and other wrap-around supports, while working with provincial and federal governments to secure the funding required.
councillor
Enzo Torrone
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?To fix Toronto’s housing crisis, City Council must cut development fees to lower building costs and use strict oversight so every dollar goes into constructing real homes. Taking this approach will unlock federal and provincial funding, ensuring Toronto has the outside investment needed to build affordable housing quickly. By removing municipal roadblocks and securing these higher-level government funds, the city can speed up construction and put keys into the hands of people who need them.
councillor
Jason McDonald
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Prioritize a Ward-Based Tenant Advocate — a paralegal in the ward office helping tenants facing eviction. Landlord and Tenant Board navigation shouldn't require a legal clinic referral. Also push for the Fair-Rent Registry so tenants know what neighbours actually pay, and use city enforcement tools against bad landlords immediately.
councillor
Neil Simon
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would focus on homes people can actually afford and keep. In Ward 9, that means protecting existing rental buildings, speeding up truly affordable and supportive housing on suitable sites, using City land wisely, and holding landlords accountable for unsafe conditions. Building more matters, but so does stopping families, seniors and renters from being pushed out of the neighbourhoods they already call home.
councillor
Alejandra Bravo
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Increasing affordable housing and tackling homelessness have been top priorities for me. I've gotten affordable homes built across Davenport and leveraged City land to support non-profits and land trusts. I'll continue to deliver by creating 65,000 new, rent-controlled homes by 2030. I also led City Council's response to homelessness, which saw it drop by 8.2% in Toronto while it increased across Ontario. Outdoor encampments also declined by two-thirds due to our outreach-driven approach. I also fought for renters with our Renovictions bylaw.
mayor
Darrell Brown
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?We need an integrated Homes First policy, combined with expanded community outreach and mental health support. Use a name registry to track results and ensure accountability. Accelerate deeply affordable and supportive housing so people aren't one bad month from losing their home. Retain City ownership of public land and use it for public purposes. I also support gentle density growth not one size fits all. Growth must come with matched infrastructure, not downtown assumptions imposed on Scarborough, for example. Use proven solutions.
mayor
Georgios Kalkounis
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?My priority would be to implement a disciplined, evidence based housing strategy that expands supply, strengthens affordability, improves operational performance, and addresses chronic homelessness. Priorities include predictable planning, moderate subsidized expansion, disciplined procurement, engineering based repairs, eviction prevention supports, coordinated outreach, and transparent reporting and public accountability. My experience in standards, procurement, audits, and infrastructure oversight ensures accountable, measurable results.
mayor
Braeden Chow
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?City owned houses
mayor
Jamie Atkinson
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would prioritize helping people get and keep a secure home. That means preventing avoidable evictions, expanding subsidized and supportive housing, and moving people from shelters and streets into permanent homes with supports. I would create a Toronto Building MCP to accelerate approvals and make Toronto a proving ground for modular, robotic and safe autonomous construction alongside skilled trades. I would also pursue high-speed rail west to Windsor, widening access to lower-cost regional housing while keeping Toronto jobs within reach.
mayor
Robert Shusterman
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Combine ow and ODSP and take this money and give it to the landlords so the landlords have guaranteed money so that landlords do not get discourged and leave their units vacant because they feel a tenant has no money to pay the rent
mayor
Sandeep Srivastava
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would make housing supply, affordability and homelessness a top City Hall priority. I would accelerate approvals for purpose-built rental, affordable and supportive housing; use public land strategically; encourage gentle density near transit; strengthen action against bad-faith evictions; and expand shelter-to-housing pathways. I would also pursue provincial and federal funding so Toronto can build more homes without placing the full burden on municipal taxpayers. Elect Sandeep Srivastava for Mayor of Toronto
mayor
Joshua Thompson
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Build actual units. Cut the city charges and delays that kill supply. Fiscal discipline at housing agencies — no more vision documents posing as homes. Axe the tax so people can keep a roof. Crime-free streets so a secure home stays secure. I will not pretend another task force builds a single apartment.
mayor
Amy Rosen
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?The housing crisis in Toronto should be everyone's number one issue. We need to build, and quickly. There are many old TCHC buildings awaiting renovations. Let's start there. There are even more derelict buildings that can be purchased and converted into multiplexes. We can see that the city buys into local multi-unit projects too, to offset developer costs and set rental prices. We can do all of these things now.
mayor
Laura Dean
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Homelessness and eviction prevention must be scaled up so households struggling with rent can stay housed. Prevention saves taxpayers thousands per person in emergency services and healthcare costs. Housing stability is also an economic driver: people keep their jobs, work better, and have money left to spend at local businesses. These measures have to be coupled with sustained investment in affordable housing, to increase supply and bring costs down over the longer term.
mayor
Cory Deville
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I would prioritize: converting under utilized city owned real estate into rental affordable units that are priced at the median household income, and price locked per year across a ten year timeline; secondly, purchasing 2/3 story homes; and then convert the square footage into a series of self contained micro-bachelor units; thirdly, the development of low rise (ex., 5-10 floor) buildings set at the median household income, and price capped for 10 years; and lastly, city backed Rent to Buy program for first time home buyers
mayor
Roberto Curto
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?More housing types. I would allow more options like multiplexes, townhomes and courtyards housing across the city. We need to be a stronger partner in affordable housing, stop concentrating growth in a handful of areas, and also scale supportive housing. My plan includes partnering with colleges and universities to build more campus housing and creating a supportive housing complex that brings housing, mental health and addictions support together in one place. A new approach that moves us away from temporary shelters is needed.
mayor
Lyall Sanders
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?We need to make sure that more housing is available to those who wish to rent, and those who wish to purchase. My team is preparing a plan that goes well beyond anything seen in this city. Details will be released in late Sept/early October.
mayor
Martin Fraser
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?Housing is very complicated. However, we have a lot of land and it is time to utilize that land for special low cost manufactured homes. This could be done but it requires a new approach not a million dollar approach. When two people have to work and require a more than 50% payout of their net income just to cover their mortgage then this is a situation set up for failure. There is a solution without excuses.
mayor
Habiba Desai
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?For one regular adult TTC rider, eliminating transit fares could mean approximately $7,000 in savings over four years. For a household with two adults, that could mean approximately $14,000 staying in the household instead. That money could help a family build toward a down payment for home ownership, or help cover first and last month’s rent and other moving costs when securing a new home. Free TTC would not solve the housing shortage by itself, so I would also
mayor
Faisal Razi
Housing costs weigh on Torontonians whether they rent or own, access to subsidized housing is limited, and a growing number of people have no home at all. What would you prioritize on the next City Council to help people find and keep a secure place to live?I feel the best solution to this problem is to greatly remove barriers and give generous tax incentives for builders who build affordable living spaces and to work with closely such developers. We do have a lot of development in Toronto but very little focuses on affordable housing and in a city of continuous and perpetual immigration this is not acceptable, we have too many condo buildings built with little regard for actual affordable housing while we should be working on affordable housing as well. This could be done with no rise in taxes.