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REPORT FOR ACTION
~TORONTO
Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work
Plan
Date: March 7, 2023

To: Executive Committee
From: Chief Planner & Executive Director, City Planning and Executive Director,
Housing Secretariat
Wards: All
SUMMARY
At its meeting of December 14, 2022, City Council adopted Item 2023CC2.1 and
directed staff to develop a "2023 Housing Action Plan” for the 2022-2026 term of
Council to enable both market, non-market and mixed housing production in order to
achieve or exceed the provincial housing target of 285,000 new homes over the next 10
years. This report responds to Council's request for a Housing Action Plan and outlines
a strong 'made-in-Toronto' multi-pronged approach to increasing housing supply,
housing choice and affordability for current and future residents.
The Housing Action Plan (HAP) priorities for the 2022-2026 term of Council, outlined in
this report, include targeted timelines for the approval and implementation of a wide
range of actions, policies and programs to increase the supply of housing within
complete, inclusive and sustainable communities with the critical infrastructure to
support growth. The HAP actions focus on: removing policy and zoning barriers to
building housing; leveraging public lands to increase housing supply; preserving existing
rental homes; supporting the development of a range of purpose-built rental homes
(including market and non-market) through new and strengthened housing policies and
programs; and supporting the community sector (including non-profit and co-op housing
providers) to modernize and grow their stock.
To help inform this report, and as directed by City Council through Item 2022 EX34.1, a
Rental Housing Opportunities Roundtable ("Roundtable") was initiated in January 2023
to support the City in identifying short-term pressures, current constraints and future
opportunities to increase rental housing supply within the current challenging economic
climate. The Roundtable, comprised of a range of housing policy and development
experts as well as City and CreateTO staff, identified a number of challenges to building
rental housing in Toronto, as well as actions necessary to help 'unlock' supply.
Attachment 2 to this report is an independent report titled "Perspective on the Rental
Housing Roundtable" which will also be used to support future recommended changes
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to the City's Housing Now Initiative and Open Door Program, to be considered by the
Planning and Housing Committee and City Council in April and May 2023, respectively.
While this report includes a work plan with a number of initiatives and actions to be
taken between 2023 and 2026, there are key deliverables being brought forward
immediately to advance the HAP and improve public reporting and accountability.
These include: recommendations to Council in March to establish a new Council
Advisory Body to support the City in advancing its commitment to the progressive
realization of the right to adequate housing, as set out in the Toronto Housing Charter;
the launch of publicly accessible data dashboards to track affordable rental homes
approved, under construction, built, demolished, and replaced through rental
replacement Official Plan policies; and the release of the first version of the 'Toronto
Data Book' which will provide an overview of housing indicators that impact the health of
Toronto’s housing system, including availability and affordability of appropriate homes to
meet the needs of its current and future residents. Additionally, in April 2023, staff will
bring forward a final recommendations report to enable as-of-right zoning for
multiplexes (up to 4 housing units) in all Neighbourhoods citywide. Staff will also
recommend an approach to meeting the Province's requested housing pledge for
285,000 homes, including consideration of housing tenure, type and affordability based
on Toronto residents' housing needs and incomes. The City is on track to be able to
support the housing pledge, which will be reported at the April 2023 Planning and
Housing Committee meeting. The report will outline the various actions and initiatives,
including the HAP that the City is advancing to achieve the 285,000 homes target.
Addressing Toronto's complex housing challenges requires a whole-of-government and

whole-of-community approach. While this report and attached work plan outline
numerous actions that the City will take to address housing supply, adequacy and
affordability for residents, success of the HAP will require new policy, program and
financial tools from both the federal and provincial governments, as well as participation
from the Indigenous, non-profit and private sectors. As noted in the attached report from
the Roundtable, "There is [also] a recognition that more deeply affordable and
supportive housing is necessary that will not be provided by the market sector alone,
and will require ongoing public interventions and collaborations between all orders of
government with Indigenous, non-profit and private sector housing providers."
Work on the HAP complements the City's ongoing efforts to advance the ten-year
HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan ("HousingTO Plan") aimed at supporting current and
future low-and moderate-income households. Working together, both the HAP and
HousingTO Plan will improve housing outcomes for a wide range of people across the
housing continuum, and support the economic and social viability of Toronto, the
Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area ("GTHA"), the rest of Ontario and Canada.
Previous and ongoing engagement with Indigenous, non-profit and private housing
stakeholders, academic institutions and housing scholars, school boards, federal and
provincial staff, City (including CreateTO and Toronto Community Housing Corporation)
staff, housing advocates, people with living/lived experience, and the public informed
the actions identified in this report. Additional engagement will take place as the
individual work plan items are advanced.

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RECOMMENDATIONS
The Chief Planner & Executive Director, City Planning and the Executive Director,
Housing Secretariat recommend that:
1. Executive Committee request the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and

the Chief Planner & Executive Director, City Planning to report annually on the
progress of the Housing Action Plan's implementation, with the first report to be
brought forward by the end of 2023.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The consultation work referenced in this report has been provided for in the 2023
council approved budget. However the investments implied will continue to be evaluated
and as the program policies advance, staff will report on any financial implications
resulting from all capital and operating recommendations.
It is critical to note that the City's ability to continue to deliver on the HousingTO Plan
and HAP, and to fund other housing programs plus the needed community
infrastructure to support new housing, is currently at high risk due to the significant
financial impacts arising from the recently enacted provincial Bill 23, More Homes Built
Faster Act, 2022 ('Bill 23'). Specifically, Bill 23 has removed the City's ability to collect
development charges for housing services, resulting in an approximate $1.2 billion in
lost revenues over 10 years.
In the absence of the City being fully reimbursed by the Province for the lost revenues
as a result of Bill 23, and without new financial and policy tools, the City will not be able
to provide the services and investments essential to support growth even in the short
term, deliver housing programs necessary to scale up supply, and plan for complete
communities.
The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the
financial implications.
DECISION HISTORY
On December 17, 2019, City Council adopted Item PH11.5 - HousingTO 2020-2030
Action Plan. The HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan provides the strategic framework to
guide the City's efforts on housing and homelessness needs over the next ten years.
The HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan sets targets to be achieved across the housing
continuum by 2030, with an overall target of 40,000 new affordable rental homes
approvals including 18,000 supportive housing units.
http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2019.PH11.5
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On July 19, 2022, City Council directed staff to support the implementation of
HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan by initiating a Rental Housing Opportunities
Roundtable to engage on short-term pressures, current constraints and future
opportunities affecting secure market and affordable rental supply, including
representatives from all orders of government, private and non-profit rental developers
and operators, and to report back on potential actions in the first quarter of 2023.
https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2022.EX34.1
On December 14, 2022, City Council adopted Item CC2.1- 2023 Housing Action Plan,
which directed in Recommendation 1 that the City Manager to develop a Housing Action
Plan for the 2022-2026 term of Council that will support the City in achieving or
exceeding the provincial housing target of 285,000 new homes over the next 10 years.
The Housing Action Plan is to include targeted timelines for the approval and
implementation of a range of policy, program, zoning, and regulatory actions to increase
the supply of affordable housing in support of complete communities.
https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2023.CC2.1
EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT
The City of Toronto recognizes that housing is essential to the inherent dignity and well-
being of a person and to building healthy, equitable, sustainable, and livable
communities. Residents' quality of life, the city's economic competitiveness, social
cohesion and diversity also depend on current and future residents being able to access
and maintain adequate, suitable and affordable homes.
The City of Toronto's existing housing strategies and plans seek to improve housing
outcomes for a range of residents and to support equity and climate resilience.
Specifically:
 The HousingTO Plan envisions a City in which all residents have equal opportunity
to develop to their full potential, and is centred on a human rights based approach to
housing. It is also focused on increasing the supply of new affordable homes,
protecting the existing housing stock and helping renters to achieve and maintain
housing stability; and
 The City's Official Plan contains policies relating to the provision of a full range of
housing and maintaining and replenishing the affordable and mid-range housing
stock within the city.
The Housing Action Plan outlined in this report identifies priority actions to be
implemented within this term of City Council to support the HousingTO Plan and Official
Plan objectives, and increase the supply of housing, including purpose-built affordable
and market rental housing. The initiatives being advanced will directly increase
opportunities for people from equity-deserving groups, including those from low-and-
moderate-income households, to access safe, healthy and adequate homes, within
inclusive, complete and equitable communities.

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COMMENTS
Background
Toronto's Housing Challenges

Addressing the current housing crisis is critical to supporting the social and economic
growth and prosperity of Toronto, the region and rest of the province, and the country as
a whole. While the City of Toronto has advanced a number of actions and made
significant financial investments in housing over the past few years, recent housing
indicators suggest that there is still significant work to be done to address the city's
housing challenges.
As reported in the City's recent 2022 Q2 Development Pipeline report, between January
1, 2017 and June 30, 2022, 203,793 residential units were approved but not yet built
and 103,638 residential units were built in projects with development activity. In terms of
rental housing specifically, the report showed that the number of proposed purpose-built
rental units has generally been increasing over the last five-and-a-half years. Similarly,
the 2023 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Rental Market Report
(‘CMHC Rental Market Report’) reported a higher increase in the number of purpose-
built rental units in 2022 compared to previous years.
Despite this increase in supply, the growth is not significant enough to address the long-
standing backlog. Challenges remain with the availability, supply and affordability of
housing in Toronto including:
 City of Toronto data from January 2023 indicates that there are 10,274 people
actively experiencing homelessness in the last three months.
 According to CMHC’s 2023 Rental Market Report, the overall vacancy rate of
purpose-built rental units decreased from 4.9% in 2021 to 1.7% in 2022, indicating
that recent increases in the supply of rental housing have been insufficient to meet
demand.
 As reported by Urbanation, purpose-built rental construction starts in the GTA fell
54% in 2022 to 3,442 units after reaching a multi-decade high of 7,557 starts in
2021, likely caused by the sharp increases in interest rates and construction costs. A
total of 19,679 purpose-built rentals were under construction in the GTA at year-end,
up slightly from a year earlier (18,955 units).
 In 2021, about 1 in 3 of Toronto's owner and renter households (373,965 households
or 32%) experienced affordability issues and almost one in five Toronto households
(215,225 households or 19%) were in core housing need.
 According to CMHC's 2023 Rental Market Report, in Toronto's primary rental
market, increased competition led to strong rent growth, especially for homes turned
over to new tenants. In 2022, the average market rent (AMR) for a vacant three-
bedroom home was $3,105, which is 50% more than the AMR for an occupied three-
bedroom unit, at $2,065. The AMR for a vacant one-bedroom home was $1,805,
which is 18% more than the AMR for an occupied one-bedroom unit, at $1,535.
 As a result, a household would have to earn almost $79,000 to afford the average
rent for a vacant apartment ($1,971) without spending more than 30% of their
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income towards rent. To afford the average rent for rented condominium units in
Toronto ($2,559), as reported by the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board in their
2022 Q4 Rental Market Report, a household would need to earn over $102,300.
These rents are not affordable to many workers in the city, such as dental
assistants, grocery store workers, and early childhood educators who generally earn
between $33,000 and $47,000 a year.
 Based on past trends, affordability will continue to worsen across Canada,
particularly in Toronto and across Ontario as incomes will not be able to keep pace
with home prices and rents. Around 2003-2004, an average household would have
had to devote close to 40 per cent of their disposable income to buy an average
house in Ontario. In 2021, such a household would have had to devote close to 60
per cent of their incomes to housing. A recent CMHC Housing Supply Shortage
Study, forecast the income-per-household trends, indexed at 100 in 2019, will reach
to 162 by 2030.
 This CMHC study also outlines Ontario’s built housing stock is not keeping pace with
its population growth, let alone reducing its affordability problem. It estimates Ontario
will need 1.85 million more homes to reach 37% affordability by 2030. This report
notes that there would still be many low-income households that would face
affordability challenges even if these housing supply targets are reached.
Provincial Housing Targets and Legislation

As the cost of housing becomes increasingly unaffordable, delivering more supply
across the entire housing spectrum, with a particular focus on affordable rental housing,
is critical to supporting Toronto's economic and social infrastructure and growth. Based
on the Ontario Growth Plan's growth forecasts, Toronto is required to plan for growth to
accommodate a minimum of 700,000 people by 2051.
In addition, the Province of Ontario has introduced a number of sweeping changes to

policies and legislation over the past few years through the Ontario Housing Supply
Action Plan (Bill 108, More Homes, More Choice Act), Bill 109 (More Homes for
Everyone Act) and Bill 23 (More Homes, Built Faster Act). Bill 23 established a target of
building 1.5 million new homes by 2031, of which 285,000 homes (or 19%) are targeted
for Toronto. Bill 23 has also made changes to the City's development charges,
community benefits charge and parkland levies that will result in an estimated $230
million annual (or 20%) loss in revenues. In addition to the legislative changes outlined
in Bill 23, the Province is also consulting on changes to other related provincial plans,
policies and regulations.
Together, these changes have negatively impacted the City's key tools for creating and
preserving affordable rental housing, including the Open Door Program, Multi-Unit
Residential Acquisition Program, Section 37 density bonusing, and Inclusionary Zoning.
In the absence of the City being fully reimbursed by the province for the lost revenues
related to the above legislative changes, plus provided with additional financial and
policy tools, it will not be able to provide the services and infrastructure essential to
support growth over the long term, deliver existing housing programs necessary to scale
up supply, and achieve complete communities overall.

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Focus on Creating Complete and Sustainable Communities
The City of Toronto has a leading role in facilitating growth and development. Equally as
important as facilitating the development of more homes is ensuring that there are
sufficient affordable options, which will need significantly more investment to deliver.
Without this, the city will see a declining quality of life for our current and future
residents. Complete communities offer and support opportunities for people of all ages
and abilities to conveniently access most of the necessities for daily living, including an
appropriate mix of jobs, access to employment opportunities, local stores, and services,
a full range of housing, active transportation options, community services, and local
parks. Quality of life for future generations of Torontonians hinges on the City being able
to secure and deliver community infrastructure, such as community centres, libraries
and child care facilities, alongside hard infrastructure (including roads,
telecommunication, pipes, etc.), in tandem with faster development of more homes.
Actions to increase Toronto's housing supply in support of the Province's target of
building 285,000 homes by 2031 must also be aligned with the City's commitment and
ability to building complete, sustainable and resilient communities, including the Net
Zero Strategy and the City's goal of net zero emissions by 2040.
City of Toronto Actions to Increase Supply

In recent years, and as guided by the HousingTO Plan, the City has undertaken a
number of initiatives to address housing challenges across the full housing spectrum,
from homelessness to supportive housing to rental and ownership housing. The actions
identified in the HAP will build on past and ongoing work to advance a range of housing
program, policy and planning initiatives.
HousingTO Plan
Since Council adopted the HousingTO Plan in 2019, the City has made strong progress
on advancing its objectives in creating new affordable and supportive homes and
preserving existing supply of housing. This includes:
 over 20,000 affordable rental homes approved for City financial incentives;
 over $1.3 billion in land, financial incentives, and staffing resources committed to-
date under the Housing Now Initiative, making it possible for the City to approve over
50% of Housing Now's ten-year 10,000 affordable homes approval target in less
than three years;
 over 3,600 affordable and supportive housing opportunities secured between 2020
and 2022 for people experiencing homelessness, including over 2,300 new
supportive and 1,300 affordable rental housing opportunities. The majority of these
opportunities were made available by the end of 2022, and approximately 650
homes are on track to be delivered in 2023; and
 launched the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition ('MURA') program providing capital
funding and financial incentives to support the purchase, renovation and operation of
approximately 140 homes which will remain permanently affordable.
A fulsome update on the progress of the HousingTO Plan implementation will be

brought forward to the Planning & Housing Committee and Council in Q3 2023.
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Planning Initiatives and Official Plan Policy Changes
The HAP is aligned with City Planning's 2023 Study Work Program, considered by the
Planning and Housing Committee on February 28, 2023, and will inform future City
Planning Study Work Program updates. It will also build on past planning initiatives that
have supported the delivery of new housing, including:
 adopting a comprehensive regulatory framework for multi-tenant houses, that
includes both zoning permissions city-wide as well as a new licensing regime;
 establishing as-of-right zoning permissions for secondary suites, garden suites, and
laneway suites;
 eliminating most minimum parking standards
 adopting an Inclusionary Zoning policy to require affordable housing in new
developments located close to transit;
 redefining 'affordable housing' in the Official Plan to incorporate an income-based
approach;
 delineating minimum development densities for 98 Protected Major Transit Station
Areas where Inclusionary Zoning can be implemented;
 advancing approvals for Housing Now, Modular Housing and Rapid Housing sites;
 developing planning frameworks and implementation strategies to guide future
investment and development approval across the city; and
 transforming the development review service.
Planning Approvals to Enable Housing Construction
An ongoing challenge is translating development application approvals into completed

homes that individuals and families can move into. As the City's Development Pipeline
reports have highlighted over the past five years, Council continues to approve many
more residential units than are built. City Council has approved an annual average of
29,726 units per year between 2017 and 2021, almost double the average annual
number of units built through the Pipeline over the same five years (15,983). If the
average annual rate of units approved and built between 2017 and 2021 continued to
2031, a total of about 297,000 units would be approved and 160,000 units would be
built. The delivery of what is approved involves many factors including the size of the
project, construction and financing costs, and availability and access to materials and
labour, which impact decisions by housing developers on when to begin construction of
new housing.
While reform to the development review service is a priority, market forces will
determine the timing, construction and completion of homes.
While the City does not directly control this end of the development pipeline, it delivers
programs, including the Open Door Program, which helps to support housing
completions, and unlock supply.

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Housing Action Plan 2022-2026
The City Council Housing Action Plan for 2022-2026 is focused on removing policy and
zoning barriers to building housing, supporting the development of co-op, affordable and
rental housing through new and refined housing policies and programs, leveraging
public lands for new housing, continuing to preserve existing affordable rental housing,
and monitoring our progress. The HAP actions to be advanced across City Divisions fall
within the following five streams:
 Official Plan, Zoning and Guideline Amendments
 Advancing Housing System Policy and Program Initiatives
 Leveraging Public Land to Increase the Supply of Housing
 Preserving the Existing Rental Housing Stock
 Public Accountability and Reporting on Progress
The following sections provide a brief description of each action to be prioritized under
the HAP. All actions are to be advanced within this Council term. Attachment 1 to this
report provides a summary of the targeted timelines for each action. These timelines
may be subject to changes should the upcoming Mayoral by-election impact Committee
meeting dates or should the Province release new legislation or regulations that impact
the City's ability to advance a particular initiative.
This report includes the scale of potential housing units that could be enabled by 2031,
including low (less than 5,000 units), medium (5,000 to 25,000 units), and high (+25,000
units). Information on housing unit estimates will be further updated as the individual
actions advance. It is important to note that many policy and zoning initiatives are
enabling, meaning that the City cannot control the uptake of these initiatives. For
example, while the City could permit four units as-of-right per lot in areas designated
Neighbourhoods and Apartment Neighbourhoods, this does not mean every property
owner across the city would build additional units on their lots.
1. Official Plan, Zoning and Guideline Amendments

Changes to the City's Official Plan, zoning by-laws and planning guidelines are needed
to respond to the challenges of today, address exclusionary zoning, and enable
additional housing options. The HAP work plan includes a series of Official Plan policy
changes, zoning by-law amendments, and updated design guidelines to realize the
vision of more inclusive and complete communities and support the objective of
increasing housing supply.
While the directions set out below are specific to various policy or regulatory areas,
overall, they present a vision for a more inclusive and balanced growth management
strategy for the future, which grows housing opportunity for more people in more places
across the city while striving to achieve complete, resilient and prosperous communities.
Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON)

The Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods initiative will advance permissions
for 'missing middle' housing, ranging from multiplexes (up to four units) to low-rise walk-
up apartments in residential neighbourhoods across the city. Low-rise Neighbourhoods,
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which make up 35% of the City's land area, present a unique opportunity to
accommodate more housing options. To provide a wider range of housing types and
better serve the diverse needs of Toronto’s residents, the City will need to move beyond
relying on housing stock turnover in neighbourhoods and focus on building and creating
the opportunity for more ground-related housing in Neighbourhoods.
Multiplex Study
In many parts of Toronto, the existing zoning permits large homes, but they are often
limited to one or two units. The Multiplex Study is exploring opportunities to double or
quadruple housing permissions in these areas by permitting residential buildings
containing up to four units across Toronto’s low-rise neighbourhoods.
The City undertook engagement in February and early March 2023 on a revised draft
Official Plan Amendment and new draft Zoning By-law Amendment to permit
multiplexes (up to 4 housing units) in all Neighbourhoods citywide, building on
engagement undertaken dating back to 2021. The proposed amendments would permit
more housing units to be built in Neighbourhoods than what the Province legislated for
in Bill 23 and would align with the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force's
recommendation that up to four housing units be allowed “as of right” on a single
residential lot across Ontario. Staff expect to bring forward the results of the Multiplex
Study along with final recommended Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments to
the April 28, 2023 Planning and Housing Committee meeting.
Major Streets Study
This study is exploring opportunities to increase housing options by allowing new 4-6
storey walk up apartments to be built in residential zones along Major Streets. Major
Streets, identified on Map 3 in the Official Plan, stretch across the city and total
approximately 1,218 km of roadway. Current Neighbourhood policies in the Official Plan
permit additional intensification along Major Streets under specific circumstances.
However, permissions for low-rise apartments along Major Streets is not consistently
permitted through the applicable zoning by-law. A proposals report with
recommendations for proposed Official Plan and/or Zoning By-law amendments will be
advanced to the Planning and Housing Committee in Q2 2023. A final
recommendations report will be advanced in Q4 2023.
Avenues and Mixed Use Areas

Beyond enabling opportunities for housing in multiplexes and low-rise apartments, staff
will explore policy, zoning and guideline changes to simplify approvals and facilitate the
development of mid-rise buildings along Avenues and in Mixed Use Areas.
To start, staff will review and update the Rear Transition Performance Standards from
the Avenues & Mid-Rise Buildings Study (Standards 5A through 5D). The Performance
Standards provide guidance on creating an appropriate transition between mid-rise
buildings on the Avenues or in other Mixed Use Areas and adjacent low-rise areas
through setback and angular plane provisions. Updated standards are intended to
provide flexibility for rear transition, simplify the guidelines, encourage more sustainable
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and efficient building envelopes, prioritize impacts on public realm and scale at the
street, and allow for construction with “alternative” building technologies and materials.
A final report with recommended guideline updates will be advanced to the Planning
and Housing Committee in June 2023. The Performance Standards document would be
updated following Council approval of the changes.
Staff will also review the Official Plan to explore opportunities to streamline study
requirements for building new housing along Avenues, extend and potentially introduce
new Avenues, and expand the Mixed Use Areas designation across the city. These
policy reviews will provide updated vision and policy direction for how Avenues will
develop and consider opportunities to create areas of transition between Avenues and
Neighbourhoods to enable more housing. The following reports will be advanced to
Planning and Housing Committee:
 Proposed amendments to the Official Plan Chapter 2 Avenues policies (Q4 2023);
and
 Recommended amendments to expand Mixed Use Areas in certain geographies (Q1
2024).
Subsequent reports with recommended zoning by-law amendments will advance to

Planning and Housing Committee with the goal of establishing as-of-right zoning for
mid-rise developments on Avenues designated Mixed Use Areas city-wide:
 City-wide Zoning performance standards to implement as-of-right mid-rise
development on Avenues (October 2023);
 As-of-right zoning for mid-rise buildings along Avenues where an Avenue Study has
resulted in an Official Plan amendment or Urban Design Guidelines but with no
implementing zoning (Q4 2024).
 Commercial Residential Zoning to new Mixed-use Areas segments (Q4 2025)
Transition Zones
Transition zones provide the opportunity to enable additional housing opportunities in
areas located between areas of different scale, typically between the Neighbourhood
and Mixed Use Area land use designations.
The Neighbourhoods policies in the Official Plan currently permit a range of residential
building types including low-rise apartment buildings. To facilitate housing options in
transition zones, the angular plane and transition requirements in the Townhouse and
Low-Rise Apartment Guidelines will be reviewed and updated to align with the emerging
direction on the Mid-Rise Performance Standards. The Guidelines, adopted in 2018, are
used in the evaluation of development applications for townhouse and low-rise
apartment buildings that are four storeys or less. They currently provide direction to
ensure buildings fit within the existing or planned context and provide appropriate
transition, including angular plane provisions, minimum horizontal separation distances,
and other building envelope controls to transition to lower-scale buildings, parks and
open spaces. Recommended amendments to the Guidelines will be reported on in Q1
2024.
A zoning review will also look at opportunities to enhance as-of-right zoning permissions
in areas of transition. These opportunities may take the form of permissions for low-rise
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townhouses and apartment buildings up to four storeys within Neighbourhoods adjacent
to Mixed Use Areas. The review will also include proposed zoning amendments to
implement certain built form standards of the Townhouse and Low-rise Apartment
Design Guidelines in these areas. It is anticipated that these final proposed zoning
amendments would be advanced in Q1 2025.
Increasing Permissions for Housing and Addressing Exclusionary Zoning

Official Plan Updates to Support Inclusive Growth
The vision for Toronto's future and key principles for growth in the Official Plan will be
reframed to better reflect the city's current challenges and priorities. Chapter 1 of the
Official Plan currently outlines that 75% of the City's land area, which includes Parks
and Open Space, as well as neighbourhoods, are areas not expected to accommodate
much growth, but will mature and evolve. Planning and Housing Committee considered
draft directions for a revised Chapter 1 in 2022 (PH33.13) centred on inclusive growth
which outline that the Official Plan should: seek to eliminate disparities experienced by
Torontonians; challenge orthodoxies and systemic impacts of land use planning;
achieve complete communities and all its requisite components; prioritize climate
change action and sustainability towards net zero by 2040; and be the road map for
Toronto to become the most inclusive city in the world. Staff are continuing engagement
with representatives from equity deserving communities across the city, including First
Nations, Treaty Rights holders, and urban Indigenous organizations operating in
Toronto and other interest groups. The final report and recommended Official Plan
amendments to Chapter 1 will be advanced to the July 2023 Planning and Housing
Committee meeting.
A review of Neighbourhoods and Apartment Neighbourhoods policies in Chapter 4 of

the Official Plan will also be undertaken to align these policies with the updated Chapter
1 vision and principles for growth. Amendments to these policies and mapping have
occurred incrementally over the last several years. This policy review will identify
opportunities for refreshing these policies and mapping on both an area-specific and
city-wide basis. A final report with recommended Official Plan amendments will be
advanced to the Planning and Housing Committee in Q1 2024.
Simplified and Modernized Zoning By-law for Low-rise Residential Zones
This study will seek to move the City-wide Zoning By-law towards form based zoning,
focusing on the external characteristics of a building, with a focus on overall low rise
scale. This will include changes to simplify and modernize the by-law, making it easier
for applicants to understand and obtain approvals for a greater range of housing without
the need for a minor variance. This may include clarifying and simplifying residential
land use definitions, removing maximum density regulations (Floor Space Index), and
modernizing performance standards. In addition this study will bring more lands into the
City-wide Zoning by-law and enable the full range of missing middle housing
permissions and the new parking regime city-wide. Reports will advance to the Planning
and Housing Committee in Q3 2023 and Q4 2024.
As-of-Right Zoning for Major Transit Station Areas

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Staff will undertake a zoning review to implement as-of-right zoning permissions for
lands within walking distance of a transit station, including opportunities to promote
higher densities to support the creation of more affordable housing under Inclusionary
Zoning.
The timing for staff to advance as-of-right zoning will be subject to provincial approval of
the Council-adopted Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) and Protected Major Transit
Station Areas (PMTSAs). MTSAs are defined in the Growth Plan (2020) as areas within
an approximate 500-800 metre radius of a transit station and representing a 10-minute
walk. PMTSAs are a subset of MTSAs that enable the implementation of Inclusionary
Zoning and associated requirements for affordable housing. As of the date of this report,
the Minister has yet to approve any of the 29 MTSAs and 105 PMTSAs adopted by City
Council and the Province suspended their 120-day decision making timeline.
Updates to the zoning by-law will ensure consistency with the identified minimum
densities in the corresponding Site and Area Specific Policies and respond to directions
from Planning and Housing Committee to consider opportunities to increase housing
supply in MTSAs and PMTSAs (PH32.7, PH30.4, PH27.5). It is anticipated that as-of-
right zoning for many of the PMTSAs would be developed within one year of the
Minister's approval.
Facilitating Apartment Infill
There are a number of "tower in the park" sites across the city that may provide
substantive opportunities to accommodate more housing through infill development
while supporting principles of complete communities. This planning study will focus on
streamlining the process for building new housing, particularly apartment rental housing,
on underutilized parts of these existing apartment sites (e.g. surface parking lots and
under-utilized open space). This work will build off of Council-endorsed zoning changes
to permit townhouses as-of-right on sites located in the Residential Apartment zone.
The study will include a review of barriers to infill opportunities on tower sites
designated Apartment Neighbourhoods under the Official Plan, in consultation with non-
profit, co-op and for-profit rental housing providers. Pilot sites owned by Toronto
Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), private owners and other social housing
providers will be identified to assist in the development of best practices and use of
planning tools to streamline the infill development process. This study will work in
tandem with the Community Housing Initiative identified in Section 2 below. An interim
report identifying constraints and opportunities as well as pilot sites will be advanced to
the Planning and Housing Committee in Q2 2024 and a final report recommending best
practices and implementing tools will be advanced in Q4 2024.
Laneway Suite Permissions in Yorkville
Staff brought forward a report to the February 2023 meeting of the Planning and
Housing Committee to amend the Zoning by-law to permit laneway suites in Yorkville.
This amendment is required to meet the requirements of Bill 23 and provincial direction
to permit up to three housing units on all residential lots. Council will consider the
amendment on March 29.
Plan Page 13 of 31
Major Growth Areas
Major growth areas such as Downsview and the Waterfront, including Quayside, Villiers
Island and the rest of the Port Lands, are estimated to accommodate a significant
amount of new residents over the next 20 to 30 years. As outlined below, the
development and implementation of planning studies for these major growth areas will
optimize opportunities to accommodate a mix of new housing, including affordable
housing, along with the supporting community infrastructure and services essential to
protecting a high quality of life for residents as the city grows. As well, number of other
planning studies are underway to be completed in 2023 and beyond that will contribute
to the HAP objectives of unlocking housing opportunities as part of mixed-use, complete
and sustainable communities, including the North York Centre Secondary Plan Review,
the Our Scarborough Centre Study, Transit-Oriented Communities (TOCs), and the
Ready Set Midtown Zoning Review.
Quayside
Quayside is estimated to accommodate approximately 6,100 people living in 3,500

housing units, including approximately 800 to 875 affordable rental homes and 200
affordable ownership homes. The development of Quayside is expected to occur in
phases over the long term and will be subject to applicable development review
processes (e.g. plan of subdivision, zoning by-law amendment and site plan
applications). As directed by the Planning and Housing Committee, staff will be
reporting back in April 2023 on the feasibility of applying the Community Infrastructure
and Housing Accelerator (CIHA) tool on priority affordable housing projects, which may
include the Quayside project. Support, participation and investments from all orders of
government will be required to deliver this signature city-building project. An update on
delivery plan for the affordable units in Quayside will be reported back to Executive
Committee in Q4 2023.
Villiers Island
Beginning in Q2 2023, the City, CreateTO, and Waterfront Toronto will be undertaking
public engagement on approaches to increase density on publicly owned lands within
Villiers Island by at least 30% above the 2017 Villiers Island Precinct Plan. The Villiers
Island Precinct Plan estimated that the development of Villiers Island would
accommodate 8,250 to 10,700 residents, up to 2,900 jobs and 4,865 new housing units,
including between 835 to 882 affordable homes. Opportunities for increased density will
be informed by a review of the 2017 community services and facilities
recommendations, as well as the infrastructure required to support these opportunities,
in collaboration with the appropriate City divisions. As noted in the Villiers Island
Affordable Housing Update report, considered by the Planning and Housing Committee
on February 28, 2023, staff are targeting to report back on:
 the results of public engagement and a preferred approach for increasing densities
(Q3 2023 – Planning and Housing Committee);
 a phasing strategy for Villiers Island and a Business and Implementation Plan for
phase one (Q4 2023 - Executive Committee in Q4 2023); and

Plan Page 14 of 31
 recommended updates to the Precinct Plan and any necessary policy amendments
(Q1 2024 - Planning and Housing Committee).
Portlands
The City, in partnership with Waterfront Toronto and CreateTO, is anticipating beginning
a precinct planning process for the McCleary District in the Port Lands in early 2023.
The precinct plan will generally establish local street and block patterns, locally-oriented
parks and open spaces, the preferred location for community infrastructure, detailed
urban design and streetscape guidelines, heritage, passive design, and sustainability
recommendations, and specific strategies for public art and affordable housing.
Downsview
The Update Downsview Study is updating the in-force Downsview Area Secondary Plan
for an area that encompasses 560 hectares of land and presents a generational and
transformative opportunity to increase the supply of housing and support the
establishment of liveable, complete, resilient and transit-oriented neighbourhoods. The
Study is also expected to deliver an area-specific zoning by-law, revised and/or new
Urban Design Guidelines, a Master Environmental Servicing Plan (including a
Transportation Master Plan) and a Community Development Plan. The estimated
population for the area is approximately 110,000 residents and 40,000 new jobs which
will be realized over a 30-year build out.
The draft Secondary Plan and draft Community Development Plan priorities will be
brought forward to the April Planning and Housing Committee meeting.
Aligning Objectives for Complete Communities

As the above-noted policies, zoning and guideline reviews advance, opportunities will
be explored to align objectives for increasing housing supply with other components of
complete communities, including heritage conservation and expanding the city's tree
canopy.
For example, the construction of new housing may require the removal and/or injury of
trees. However supporting the construction of more housing and protecting and
expanding the City’s tree canopy are not mutually exclusive objectives. The purpose of
Toronto's tree by-laws is not to prevent development, rather to regulate tree removal
and injury to mitigate impact and maximize compensation where tree removal and injury
are unavoidable. The by-laws were created to promote tree preservation, to assist in
sustaining the urban forest, and to educate individuals with respect to tree protection
measures and alternatives to tree injury and destruction. A permit to injure or destroy
healthy trees may be issued where development is permitted as-of-right. As a result,
zoning changes to permit more as-of-right development may result in an increase in the
issuance of tree permits and have implications on the city's tree canopy. Strategies to
align objectives for new infill housing and expansion of the City's tree canopy will be
incorporated as the other HAP initiatives are advanced.

Plan Page 15 of 31
Heritage conservation is another integral component of good planning that supports
complete communities. Inclusion on the Heritage Register as a listed or designated
property does not prevent growth or change on those properties. It instead allows the
City to influence change, working with property owners to conserve what is important
about the heritage properties, as defined by Council, and to meet the owner's
objectives. Heritage Staff are undertaking a review of the City's heritage processes to
determine where realignment is required to address Bill 23 amendments to the Ontario
Heritage Act and Bill 109 amendments to the development review timeline. It is
anticipated that internal process changes will be required. This review will build off of
recent changes to internal business processes to implement changes to the Heritage
Act, including a more streamlined approach to individual property heritage evaluations
that prioritizes consistent and timely contributions to development applications. The
components to review include:
 Integration into the Bill 109 process improvements;
 Alignment of the priorities of the Toronto Heritage Survey program to Bill 23,
including the prioritization of the business transformation and modernization of the
Heritage Register;
 General process and procedures regarding the listing and designation of properties
and districts;
 Strategy to review the nearly 4,000 listed Heritage Register properties (next two
years);
 The removal of heritage properties from the Heritage Register; and
 Guidance and communication on Heritage Conservation with examples and best
practices of the integration of heritage and housing to the public.
2. Advancing Housing System-Level Policy and Program Initiatives

Since December 2022, staff have engaged a number of key stakeholders and have
made progress on advancing a number of housing system policy and program
components, as outlined below.
Rental Housing Roundtable

Progress on increasing purpose-built rental supply has been insufficient and is further
stalling. Challenges in the construction sector, including labour and global supply chain
disruptions, as well as rising interest rates and costs, have contributed to rental starts in
the Greater Toronto Area being stalled for two consecutive quarters and falling by 72%
in Q3 2022 from the same period in 2021.
On the other hand, Toronto will continue to experience a surging demand for purpose-
built rental housing as the result of high ownership prices and increasing rents,
combined with rapidly rising interest rates, and anticipated record high immigration
including international students and skilled workforce. As a result, the City and other
orders of government have a keen interest in increasing rental supply that is safe,
adequate and affordable to a range of households.
In response to Council's request in Item 2022 EX34.1 for staff to get advice from a
range of stakeholders on how the City and other orders of government can encourage a
greater supply of purpose-built rental housing, the Housing Secretariat initiated a Rental
Plan Page 16 of 31
Housing Opportunities Roundtable in January 2023. Attachment 2 is a report from the
Rental Housing Roundtable.
Key recommendations from the Roundtable report include:
1. Recognize that there are two rental affordability crises – workforce and
low-income – with similar causes but different implications for action.
Increasing market-rate rental supply will help to alleviate the rental crisis for
middle-income households, but intentional government action in the form of
subsidies for households or units is required to serve a wide spectrum of
residents from moderate-income to the homeless.
a. Support the vital non-profit sector role in providing deep affordability.
b. Optimize and coordinate funding for homelessness across agencies.
c. Support the purchase of existing affordable rental buildings through
MURA and other mechanisms.
2. Align efforts across levels of government and collaborate to achieve

goals. Historically, Canada produced purpose-built rental housing at scale via
federal tax subsidies and the Canada Rental Supply Plan. It will not be possible
for the City of Toronto to achieve scale alone, without supportive programs like
these at the provincial and federal level.
a. Tweak the Co-Investment Fund and Rental Construction Financing
Initiative to work better in the Toronto context.
b. Streamline access to Canadian Infrastructure Bank funding to support
community infrastructure and green affordable housing retrofits.
c. Provide a CMHC mortgage product that is below Bank of Canada rates,
which could be achieved by buying down rates for being offered through
affordable housing funds created by banks and credit unions.
d. Pass new provincial legislation that enables rental-only zoning tool, as
in Vancouver.
e. Work across agencies to help build the pipeline into the construction
workforce.
f. Waive HST/GST on new affordable rental and defer HST/GST on
market rental units (re-payable after first 10 years).
g. Provide deeper subsidies for affordable rental in provincial and federal
housing programs to help Toronto’s non-profit sector.
3. Revisit planning regulations and policies to identify areas for

streamlining and flexibility. Despite Toronto’s efforts to accelerate the
development pipeline (e.g., the End-to-End Review of the Development Review
Process report commissioned from KPMG in 2019), approval processes remain
burdensome and slow.
a. Evaluate implementation of the Concept to Keys initiative and refine
streamlining reforms as necessary.
b. Identify bottlenecks in environmental and heritage regulations that are
sometimes used to slow development, and build consensus around more
effective approaches.

Plan Page 17 of 31
c. Continue to implement rental replacement (Section 111) but with
increased flexibility for developers building significant numbers of new
rental units.
4. Level geographic playing field to incentivize infill across all of Toronto’s

neighbourhoods. New rental development is overly concentrated in downtown
and along major corridors due to issues of financial feasibility. This creates a
mismatch with existing infrastructure, overburdening some areas.
a. Assign different levels of incentives (density bonuses, fee waivers,
permit streamlining) to different neighbourhoods across Toronto.
b. Assign purpose-built rental targets (both affordable and market-rate) to
different neighbourhoods, with rewards (e.g., new funds for capital
investments) to council districts that achieve targets.
5. Connect any developer incentives to long-term affordability benefits. In

recent decades, Toronto has often allowed developers to build at high densities
without requiring anything in return for the windfall. The crisis means a shift in
business-as-usual, to couple affordability with any new residential development.
a. Consider additional density, as appropriate, and fee waivers that
correlate to the years of affordability guaranteed (25, 40, or 99).
6. Identify developable public lands (City, Province, Federal) and prioritize

affordable rental housing production. Land already in public hands presents
an unparalleled opportunity for affordable rental construction, making affordability
more viable.
7. Commit significant funding to effective initiatives. It will not be possible to

alleviate the rental affordability crisis for Toronto’s households of moderate
means and below without significant funding, comparable to 20th century levels.
a. Consider issuing a social housing bond for the City of Toronto.
b. Replicate British Columbia’s $500 million Rental Protection Fund to
preserve existing affordable housing via Toronto’s MURA program.
Roundtable meetings are ongoing and the advice from members will also inform future
recommended changes to the City's Housing Now Initiative and Open Door Programs,
to be considered by the Planning and Housing Committee and City Council in April and
May 2023.
Community Housing Modernization and Growth

Over 83,000 low-and moderate-income households live in our existing supply of
community housing, in safe, secure and non-profit and co-op affordable rental homes
within neighbourhoods across the city with access to services, transit, and local
amenities.
The majority of Toronto's community housing stock was built between 1970 and 1990s
before responsibility for social housing was transferred to the City. This was mainly
made possible due to significant federal government investment in construction of social

Plan Page 18 of 31
and co-op housing across the country including housing targeted for low-and-moderate-
income residents.
During the past two decades however, the federal government has not directly built nor
allocated sufficient funding for other organizations to build new social housing. Also,
Ontario, similar to many other provinces, does not have social housing supply
programs.
Non-profit and co-op housing organizations are mainly focused on maintaining the
existing community housing supply that are facing major capital repair needs, while
supporting their tenants and communities. The cost of construction far exceeds the
rental revenue that is generated by the lower income profile of social housing residents.
In Toronto's hot housing market, protecting and expanding community housing is a

priority shared by all orders of government, the community housing sector, and Toronto
residents. Staff have been working with key partners over the years to ensure the
protection of the existing housing stock that house many of our vulnerable residents.
This includes prioritizing funding from all orders of government to undertake capital
repairs in Toronto Community Housing and other non-profit and co-operative housing
buildings; and launching the Community Housing Partnership Renewal (CHPR)
program that provides an opportunity for housing providers to enter into new
agreements with the City that will maintain or improve levels of affordability.
Additionally, the City has been working with Ontario Non-profit Housing Association
(ONPHA) and the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto (CHFT) to strengthen
the capacity of non-profit and co-op housing organizations in Toronto and to ensure
they have access to resources they need to serve their residents. As part of
implementing the HAP, the City and its partners are committed to build upon these
achievements, and to bring additional focus on increasing the supply of community
housing leveraging land, financial tools, and the expertise in Toronto's housing sector.
To-date, City Staff have taken the following actions to advance this priority:
 Consulting with CHFT and other community housing providers to seek input on how
the City can support the community housing intensification efforts;
 Working with CHFT and other community housing providers to assess sites that
could be activated for intensification and working across Divisions to identify
measures that could facilitate these efforts; and,
 Meeting with federal and provincial representatives to advocate for dedicated capital
grant funding and low-cost financing options for the expansion of the community
housing sector.
Staff will report to the Planning and Housing Committee in April, 2023 on a number of
other actions currently underway including:
 Seeking authority to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with CHFT to
support their efforts in modernizing their government structure, helping co-op
housing operators to improve long-term financial and operating sustainability, and
exploring options for growth through intensification opportunities on co-op lands;

Plan Page 19 of 31
 Seeking authority to extend land-leases for community housing buildings on City-
owned land,
 Identifying community housing sites and providers that could undertake
intensification by 2026; and,
 Exploring opportunities to pilot as-of-right-zoning and built form models that could
potentially be easily replicated.
Additionally, in partnership with TCHC and CreateTO, City staff will be retaining a
consultant to review TCHC's Revitalization Program, with the primary intent of
identifying opportunities to achieve additional housing and to enhance financial
sustainability.
Affordable Housing Program Updates

The City of Toronto delivers a number of innovative affordable housing programs to
create affordable rental and ownership homes in neighbourhoods across the city.
 The Housing Now Initiative leverages City-owned land to create new, mixed-use,
mixed-income communities near transit. Since the launch of the Initiative, the City
has allocated 21 sites plus identified another 6 'pipeline' sites to create new housing
within completed communities. These sites are estimated to deliver between 14,275
and 15,000 new homes, of which approximately 5,500 will be affordable rental
homes.
 The Open Door Affordable Rental Housing Program provides capital grant
funding, and financial incentives to support the delivery of affordable rental housing
on land owned by the Indigenous, non-profit and private sectors. The financial
incentives include waived fees such as planning application fees, building permit
fees, and parkland dedication fees, and exemption from development charges and
property taxes. Since 2017, the Open Door Program has provided capital funding
and financial incentives to support delivery of over 20,000 affordable rental and
supportive homes.
 The Home Ownership Assistance Program provides financial assistance to non-

profit housing organizations developing affordable ownership homes for low- and
moderate-income households. The program incorporates federal/provincial funding
and development charges deferral. Since 2009, the City has assisted 1,242
households through these interest-free down payment assistance loans.
Despite the City's significant investments in housing over the past few years, the current
market realities, financial impacts of Bill 23, and other changes in federal and provincial
programs, are making it increasingly difficult to increase new affordable housing supply.
These changes have also significantly impacted the viability of the above programs. As
a result, a complete review of these programs are being undertaken by staff. Upon
completion of these reviews, and with input from the Roundtable, staff will report to the
Planning and Housing Committee and City Council over the upcoming months with
recommended program changes to the Housing Now, Open Door, and Home
Ownership Assistance Program.

Plan Page 20 of 31
Training and Trades Strategy Addressing Construction Market Capacity
The availability of skilled trade workers is a critical element to building new housing
supply. The current labour shortage problem experienced across Ontario and nationally,
was exacerbated as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and has resulted in project
delays or cancellation, increased costs and an over-stretched skilled workforce under
pressure to meet the demand. Other contributing factors include a wave of retirements
in the sector, and a decline in apprentice and training opportunities across various
skilled trades.
Toronto's unaffordable housing market poses another challenge for many construction
workers that are priced out and, in some cases, moving further and further away in
search of an affordable home – a cycle that increases the cost of living for workers who
almost inevitably drive to work-sites within Toronto.
The Ontario government has recently announced new investment to help up to 2,500
workers start or advance in well-paying careers in the construction industry. The Ontario
government has also estimated that it will need 100,000 more construction workers to
help deliver the province’s ambitious infrastructure plans, including 1.5 million homes by
2031.
At the federal level, additional efforts will be made in 2023 to help the immigration
system target health care and construction – two sectors that have the highest need for
labour. Immigration targets have been increased over the 2022 level of more than
430,000 immigrants to 465,000 in 2023, 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025
nationally. However, it is imperative that immigration policies go hand-in-hand with new
investments in affordable housing. Based on past trends, about 30% of newcomers
settle in Toronto – so increased affordable housing supply will be needed urgently
support the federal goals. Without these investments, Toronto, the region and country
will be challenged to attract and retain the diverse workforce needed to sustain our
economic growth and vitality.
At the local level, the City of Toronto has also made progress in implementing the
"Community Benefits Framework" with a focus on employment and training
opportunities when the City buys, builds, provides financial incentives, or other unique
opportunities where community benefits can be explored. For example, the City will be
requiring community benefit plans at each of the housing development projects under
the Housing Now Initiative aiming to achieve a 10% equity target in construction
projects over $50 million.
Leveraging existing work underway through the Community Benefits Framework, staff
will work with key industry stakeholders and community partners, including skilled trade
unions, construction contractors, developers, training programs, and community
partners, and other orders of government to develop and advance training and skilled
trades strategies to address the construction labour shortage with a focus on equity,
diversity and inclusion.

Plan Page 21 of 31
3. Leveraging Public Land to Increase the Supply of Housing
Housing Now Sites

As noted above, the Housing Now Initiative provides City-owned land and incentives to
stimulate the development of affordable housing within mixed-income, livable
communities near transit. The affordable units created through Housing Now will, on
average, be rented at 80% of Toronto’s average market rent. Council has approved 21
sites for inclusion in the Housing Now Initiative over three phases. In 2021, Council also
approved a pipeline of six Housing Now sites. The pipeline prioritizes these City lands
for use as locations for new housing, once feasibility assessments are complete.
Planning Approvals
City Council has approved zoning by-laws for Housing Now developments across the
city. To date, Council has approved zoning by-laws for the following sites:
Site Ward Estimated Total Estimated Number of

Number of Units Affordable Rental Units
140 Merton Street Toronto St. Paul’s 184 90
777 Victoria Park Avenue Scarborough 589 254
Southwest
50 Wilson Heights Boulevard York Centre 1,484 520
705 Warden Avenue Scarborough 600 250
Southwest
5207 Dundas Street West Etobicoke- 710 217
and 970 Kipling Avenue Lakeshore
(Bloor-Kipling Block One)
5207 Dundas Street West Etobicoke- 586 196
and 970 Kipling Avenue Lakeshore
(Bloor-Kipling Blocks Five)
405 Sherbourne Street Toronto Centre 267 133
150 Queens Wharf Road Spadina-Fort York 284 141
158 Borough Drive Scarborough Centre 687 229
770 Don Mills Road Don Valley East 1,254 418
805 Don Mills Road Don Valley East 840 286
On December 14, 2022, as part of the HAP, City Council directed staff to revisit
approved Housing Now sites with the intention of increasing housing supply and
supporting affordable housing delivery. Accordingly, a rezoning application for the Bloor-
Kipling Block 1 site (5207 Dundas Street West) will be advanced to the April 2023
meeting of the Planning and Housing Committee. Additionally, staff are working with
Missanabie Cree First Nations, the Indigenous non-profit partner selected to develop
and operate 140 Merton Street, to explore opportunities to add density and improved
long-term financial viability of the project.
Furthermore, along with CreateTO, the Housing Secretariat and City Planning are
assessing potential opportunities to increase density on other sites with approved
zoning, using approved concepts as the starting point for increasing the number of
Plan Page 22 of 31
homes on site, while maintaining high quality public realm to support more residents at
each location.
The approach to optimizing density for new housing opportunities is also being applied
to other Housing Now sites that will have their first rezoning advancing to Planning and
Housing Committee in the next 12 months, including 1631 Queen Street East (Q3
2023), the Parkdale Hub (Q3 2023), 1250 Eglinton Avenue West (Q4 2023), 40 Bushby
Drive (Q1 2024), 251 Esther Shiner Boulevard (Q1 2024) and Bloor-Islington (Q4 2023).
As noted above, a full update on Housing Now Initiative, including progress on all sites,
actions necessary by the City to move the current sites forward, and proposed program
changes in light of the current macro environment, will also be provided in a report to
the Planning and Housing Committee in April 2023.
Collaboration with Post-Secondary Institutions

With the cost of housing continuing to rise, unhealthy low rental vacancy rates, and the
escalating cost of living, post-secondary students in Toronto are struggling to make
ends meet. Moreover, international students are often faring worse than their Canadian
counterparts as their tuition fees are significantly higher, and many are unable to work
part-time or have experienced job losses as a result of the pandemic. Directly related to
housing precarity, an increasing number of international students are also using shelters
and food banks.
In addition to students, many faculty members and staff are also facing housing
affordability and availability challenges. While the challenges are known, there is limited
data to substantiate the scale of the housing need and affordability issues facing
students, faculty and staff. In an attempt to address this, the presidents of Toronto
Metropolitan University (TMU) (formerly Ryerson University), OCAD University, the
University of Toronto, and York University launched StudentDwellTO in 2017 to
examine the housing needs of their 180,000 students, and to gather data that will be
used to navigate a path forward. A 2022 study examined the experiences of 139
students through focus groups that took place in 2018 and 2019, and found that
inadequate housing experiences affect students to the degree that it significantly
impacted their quality of living.
Within Toronto's limited spectrum of affordable housing options, multi-tenant homes (or
rooming houses) have emerged as the prevalent form of affordable student housing.
Students and academic institutions have continuously raised concerns about the lack of
protection for students living in illegal and/or unsafe rooming houses, and those stuck in
unfair rental agreements. The City has already taken major steps to address these
concerns. At its meeting of December 14, 2022, and as part of the HAP, Toronto City
Council adopted a new regulatory framework for multi-tenant houses resulting in an
amendment to the City’s Zoning Bylaw to permit multi-tenant houses across Toronto. A
new Multi-Tenant Houses Licensing Bylaw will introduce consistent standards,
regulatory oversight, and enforcement to help protect the safety of tenants, including
students. As of March 31, 2024, all operators of multi-tenant houses will be required to
obtain a licence.

Plan Page 23 of 31
In recognition of the importance of developing housing solutions for students, faculty
and staff, the Housing Secretariat established a "HousingTO Plan and Academic
Institutions Working Group" in 2022 with a mandate to:
 Increase the supply of affordable housing opportunities for low-and-moderate
income students and staff;
 Assist the City through providing advice based on research, data, evidence and
holding annual summits to share innovative housing practices; and,
 Support City efforts and advocacy to other orders of government to increase the
supply of affordable and supportive housing.
Work has already begun with each of the universities and colleges in Toronto to better
understand the needs and demands of students, faculty and staff; challenges and
barriers in advancing residence and housing projects; and current and future housing
plans. Key common themes identified by academic institutions include:
 Access to affordable housing is a critical factor impacting universities and colleges'
ability to attract and retain international talent (both students and faculty);
 Students are not recognized as priority populations in housing policies and programs
while they contribute substantially to the economic, social and cultural life of the city;
 Definition of affordability based on average market rates does not reflect what
students can pay;
 Lack of knowledge about tenancy rights and responsibilities particularly among
international students;
 Unsafe housing conditions in unregulated multi-tenant houses that are some of most
affordable housing options they have access to; and,
 Government funding programs for affordable housing do not consider student
residences as an eligible type of housing and there are no additional funding
sources available to acquire and/or build new student residences.
Leveraging the HousingTO Plan and Academic Institutions Working Group, and based
on the feedback received to-date, staff will work with academic institutions to address
data gaps and gather information on the housing needs and demands of students,
faculty and staff. The data will be used to inform City housing programs and policies and
advocacy efforts to other orders of government to ensure safe and adequate housing
solutions for students, faculty and staff. The Housing Secretariat will also continue to
work with academic institutions to advance current and future housing projects.
Additionally, as the City moves forward to implement the recently adopted regulatory
framework to permit multi-tenant houses across Toronto, staff will continue to work with
academic institutions to help protect the safety of students living in these houses.
Working with School Boards

Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and Toronto Catholic District School Board
(TCDSB) have access to parcels of land across the city that are close to transit,
amenities, retail and where people want to live. Many of these sites include
underutilized parking lots that can be re-developed or intensified for housing.

Plan Page 24 of 31
The TDSB's real estate portfolio includes approximately 5,000 acres of land, nearly 600
schools, 36 non-instructional or administrative sites and 11 parcels of vacant land.
However, almost half of the TDSB's schools are more than 60 years old with some are
more than a century old making it challenging for TDSB to keep up with much-needed
repairs at many of its existing schools.
Over the years, school boards have focused on leveraging the value of their land to pay
for school repairs, construction of new schools and to support modernization efforts for
the benefit of students, staff and communities. For instance, at the David and Mary
Thomson Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, which was completed in 2019, TDSB
severed off portions of the land, some of which was sold to build housing. The City
bought another piece of the land to build a daycare and recreation centre. The sales
resulted in a $33-million return to the Board.
In another pilot project, the province, the TDSB and the City of Toronto partnered to
develop a new school in midtown Toronto following the TDSB leasing a parcel of the
property at a nominal rate to the City to build a public community playground and
aquatic recreation centre, where students will have access to the pool during specific
school hours.
The City aims to work with school boards on real estate redevelopment strategies that
will not only create more community centres and modernized schools, but also provide
land that can be activated for market and affordable rental housing development
opportunities. The Housing Secretariat has recently established a working group with
CreateTO, City Planning, TDSB and its real estate body Toronto Land Corporation
(TLC), and TCDSB to identify sites where they can explore co-location opportunities,
including identifying school sites that are slated for closure, and appropriate for re-
development or have opportunities for intensification.
Staff will report to the Planning and Housing Committee and Council later in 2023 with a
co-developed strategy aimed at encouraging the creation of housing on school board
land, along with financing plans to support expedited delivery of affordable homes on
these sites, and on measures to address the regulatory and planning barriers identified
at both the system-level and on a case-by-case basis.
4. Preserving the Existing Rental Housing Stock
Rental Housing Programs

Recognizing that most current and future residents will have their housing needs met
through the city’s existing rental supply over the next decade, it is crucial that these
homes be preserved and maintained. In Toronto's constrained housing market, more
and more tenants are facing eviction, including 'renovictions' whereby a landlord
illegitimately evicts a tenant by alleging that they need vacant possession of a
residential unit to undertake renovations or repairs. Evictions, including renovictions,
result in the displacement of tenants, housing instability, increased rates of
homelessness and the permanent loss of affordable and mid-range rental homes.

Plan Page 25 of 31
In response to the need to preserve tenancies and the affordable rental housing stock,
the City has taken a number of actions over the past couple of years. These efforts will
be expanded as part of HAP.
 At its meeting of November 9, 2021, City Council adopted the Multi-Unit Residential
Acquisition ("MURA") Program the primary objectives of removing properties from
the speculative housing market and securing them as permanently affordable rental
homes, and improving housing stability for low-and-moderate-income renters. MURA
provides grant funding and financial incentives to qualified non-profit and Indigenous
housing groups to support their purchase, renovation and operation of market rental
properties to create permanently affordable rental homes for low-and-moderate
income households. The program also supports the City's acquisition of at-risk
affordable rental housing that non-profit and Indigenous organizations will operate
over the long term.
 The City's first ever Renoviction Policy, adopted by Council at its meeting on July 19,
2022, sets out a framework to help preserve affordable and mid-range rental homes
across the city addressing the growing trend of illegitimate renovictions. A new
regulatory by-law to assist in protecting affordable and mid-range rental homes, a
detailed implementation plan to phase in the by-law, including required resources,
and a coordinated approach to compliance and enforcement are currently under
development and will be brought to the Planning and Housing Committee and
Council for consideration in October 2023.
 To support implementation of the proposed Renovictions Policy and future
companion by-law, staff are in the process of establishing a Housing At-Risk Table
to review and analyse eviction data, and report regularly on identified trends; review
complaints received from residents; and connect people to supports as needed.
Staff will continue to advance these programs and efforts while continuing to advocate
to other orders of government to pull other levers within their jurisdictional control that
would enable much-needed systemic and structural changes. These include
amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 to better protect renters, increases
to social assistance rates so that recipients are better able to meet their basic needs,
and actions to curb housing speculation.
Strategy to Maintain Rental Replacement

The provincial Bill 23 made changes to Section 111 of the City of Toronto Act to allow
the Minister to make regulations imposing limitations on the City's ability to prohibit and
regulate the demolition and conversion of residential rental properties. Toronto's rental
demolition by-law has been in force since 2007 and Official Plan rental replacement
policy has been in effect since 2006. Together, these policies and practices have been
successful in preventing a net loss of thousands of affordable and mid-range rental units
through demolitions and conversions, while continuing to support the renewal of existing
rental housing stock.
As of the date of this report, no Minister's regulation (either in draft or final form) has
been released. City Planning staff have requested consultation with Ministry staff to
discuss any forthcoming Minister's regulation. City Council has also requested that any
Minister's regulation enables the City to continue to apply Official Plan rental
Plan Page 26 of 31
replacement policies. In the meantime, requirements of the Official Plan policies and the
City's Rental Demolition and Conversion Control By-law respecting the demolition and
replacement of existing rental housing continue to apply.
On November 23, 2022, City Council requested the City Solicitor and the Chief Planner
to report to the Planning and Housing Committee with a legal strategy to challenge the
Province of Ontario’s potential removal of Section 111 of the City of Toronto Act, and
explore alternate means to protect rental units from demolition and conversion. A report
with confidential attachments was considered by the Planning and Housing Committee
on February 28, 2023 and will be before Council at its meeting on March 29, 2023.
In addition to the above, staff will continue to advance improvements to rental

replacement practices in order to address the Auditor General's recommendations in
Item AU3.14 – "Opening Doors to Stable Housing: An Effective Waiting List and
Reduced Vacancy Rates Will Help More People Access Housing," adopted by Council
at its meeting of July 16, 2019. These improvements will enhance processes to better
align with the City's priorities for making affordable rental replacement housing
accessible to all households based on financial need.
As directed by Council at its meeting of July 19, 2022 through Item 2022.PH35.20, staff
will also report back to the Planning and Housing Committee in Q4 2023 with any
necessary changes to the Residential Rental Property Demolition and Conversion
Control By-law, in order to include reference to the Centralized Affordable Rental
Housing Access System for affordable replacement rental units without a returning
tenant and potential remedies for non-compliance.
Multi-Tenant Housing and Dwelling Rooms

Dwelling rooms are rooms used as living accommodation that are available for rent and
not self-contained, meaning they may include food preparation facilities (e.g. a hot plate
or kitchenette) or sanitary facilities (e.g. a full or half bathroom), but not both. Individuals
who live in rooming houses are often marginalized and/or vulnerable and may include
households with low incomes, seniors on fixed incomes, newcomers to the city and
students.
City Council adopted Official Plan Amendment (OPA) 453 – Policies to Address the
Loss of Dwelling Rooms at its meeting on June 18, 2019. The policies came into full
force and effect as of October 25, 2021 for all lands in the City where dwelling rooms
are permitted, except for one site-specific appeal. Official Plan Policy 3.2.1.11 applies
where new development would result in the loss of six or more dwelling rooms and
there is an associated planning approval other than site plan approval. The policy does
not apply where all of the dwelling rooms have rents that exceed dwelling room tier 2
mid-range rents at the time of application (e.g. rents above $1,580 in 2023), or where a
building permit issues for a project that does not require a planning approval. Where
the policy applies, dwelling rooms lost to redevelopment must be replaced as rental
housing and a tenant relocation and assistance plan must be provided to lessen
hardship for displaced tenants.

Plan Page 27 of 31
On December 14, 2022, City Council enacted Zoning By-law Amendments that would
permit up to 6 dwelling rooms in all zones in the former City of Etobicoke, former City of
North York and former City of Scarborough. These zoning amendments would come
into force on March 31, 2024 to align with the phased implementation timeline for the
Multi-tenant House regulatory framework. Until these zoning amendments come into
effect, the Official Plan dwelling room policy will not apply in many low-density
residential areas of the city. Beginning March 31, 2024, the Official Plan dwelling room
policy will apply to development applications (i.e. official plan amendment, zoning by-
law amendment and minor variance applications) proposing to demolish six or more
dwelling rooms, regardless of whether or not the property has obtained a multi-tenant
housing licence.
5. Public Accountability and Reporting on Progress

Through Item 2023.CC2.1, City Council directed staff to "develop a publicly available
database to track affordable rental units approved, under construction, built, and
demolished under Chapter 667 of the Toronto Municipal Code and replaced through
rental replacement and dwelling room Official Plan policies."
The first iteration of the City's Housing Dashboard that will launch in March 2023 in
response to this Council direction and will include the following data:
 Net-new affordable rental projects and homes approved for financial incentives
under a Program of the Housing Secretariat and/or secured through the planning
process, including those supporting the Province's housing pledge for 285,000 new
homes, under construction, and completed, defined as ready for occupancy (2017 –
to date);
 Rental units approved for demolition under Chapter 667 of the Toronto Municipal
Code and replaced through rental replacement Official Plan policies (2017 - 2022);
 Inventory of subsidized (units with rents at Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) levels) and
affordable units under City's administration (as of December 31, 2022); and
 Centralized Waitlist (CWL) data on applications for social housing.
Datasets will also be made available to the public through the City's Open Data Portal.
The majority of the datasets will be updated quarterly moving forward.
The Dashboard is an inter-divisional collaborative effort being developed in partnership

with the Housing Secretariat, City Planning Customer Innovation and Experience (CXi)
team and Technology Services Division (TSD), and is informed through consultations
with subject matter experts (SMEs), key City staff, and the general public to ensure the
data meets the diverse needs of Torontonians and housing experts. Engagement for the
Housing Dashboard included:
 In person pop-ups events at Downsview Public Library, Centennial Recreational
Centre, Lawrence Heights Community Centre, Regent Park Community Centre and
Parkdale Public Library where residents may be at a higher risk of housing
instability.
 Virtual usability testing workshops with SMEs and people with living/lived
experience, including residents who may be seeking housing-related information or
data and their experiences accessing information, and

Plan Page 28 of 31
 Usability walkthrough workshops with City staff.
The Housing Dashboard is intended to grow iteratively to include more data over time
related to the city's housing system and key indicators tracking progress on the actions
of the HousingTO Plan. It will serve as the single point of affordable housing data for the
City of Toronto.
In addition the Housing Dashboard, the first version of the 'Toronto Data Book' will be
launched in March 2023, to provide an overview of indicators that impact the health of
Toronto’s housing system, including availability and affordability of appropriate homes to
meet the needs of its current and future residents.
HAP Progress Tracking and Annual Updates
Staff will continue to monitor progress on the actions identified as part of the HAP and
recommend reporting back at least annually, with the first report back targeted for Q4-
2023. The first annual report will provide an opportunity to highlight progress achieved
on the planned 2023 initiatives and identify additional or refined initiatives and timelines
for the 2024-2026 period.
Conclusion and Next Steps

As noted above, while this report outlines a number of key initiatives to be taken
between 2023 and 2026 to implement the HAP, there are some key deliverables being
implemented immediately. These include: a report to Council in March to establish a
new Council Advisory Body to support the City in advancing its commitment to the
progressive realization of the right to adequate housing; the launch of publicly
accessible data dashboards to track affordable rental developments and supply; and the
release of the first version of the 'Toronto Data Book' which will look at the health of the
housing system by analyzing system-level housing indicators.
In addition, in April 2023, staff will bring forward a number of reports to the Planning and
Housing Committee and Council for consideration including: a final report to enable as-
of-right zoning for multiplexes; recommended program updates to the Open Door
Program and Housing Now Initiative in response to market conditions;; a report on the
use of the Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator introduced thru Bill 109
and a preliminary report related to a new Community Housing Modernization and
Growth Strategy. As outlined in the attached work plan, a number of additional reports
and actions will also be advanced throughout 2023.
While the City of Toronto is committed to continuing to take action (within its jurisdiction)
and has already made significant financial investments toward increasing housing
supply, participation from the federal and provincial governments is critical to deliver the
'right' supply needed to meet the needs of current and future residents. In the absence
of new financial and policy tools from other orders of governments, plus reimbursement
of $120 million per year in lost revenues from the province related to the implementation
of Bill 23, the City of Toronto will be unable to provide the services essential to support
growth over the long term, continue to operate existing housing programs necessary to
Plan Page 29 of 31
scale up supply, and deliver complete communities including housing and the
necessary supporting infrastructure. Future reports to Committee and Council on each
of the HAP components will highlight specific requests to the federal and provincial
governments to support City efforts.
CONTACT
Valesa Faria, Director, Housing Policy and Strategy, Housing Secretariat, 416-392-
0602, Valesa.Faria@toronto.ca
Kyle Knoeck, Director, Zoning and Secretary-Treasurer Committee of Adjustment, City

Planning, 416-392-0871, Kyle.Knoeck@toronto.ca
Kerri Voumvakis, Director, Strategic Initiatives, Policy and Analysis, City Planning, 416-
392-8148, Kerri.Voumbaki@toronto.ca

Plan Page 30 of 31
SIGNATURE
Abigail Bond
Executive Director, Housing Secretariat
Gregg Lintern
Chief Planner & Executive Director, City Planning
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1: Housing Action Plan 2023-2026 Work Plan
Attachment 2: Perspective on the Rental Housing Roundtable

Plan Page 31 of 31

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REPORT FOR ACTION

Date: March 7, 2023

Addressing Toronto's complex housing challenges requires a whole-of-government and

Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work

1. Executive Committee request the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and

EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT

Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work

Toronto's Housing Challenges

Provincial Housing Targets and Legislation

In addition, the Province of Ontario has introduced a number of sweeping changes to

Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work

City of Toronto Actions to Increase Supply

A fulsome update on the progress of the HousingTO Plan implementation will be

Planning Approvals to Enable Housing Construction

An ongoing challenge is translating development application approvals into completed

Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work

1. Official Plan, Zoning and Guideline Amendments

Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON)

Major Streets Study

Avenues and Mixed Use Areas

Subsequent reports with recommended zoning by-law amendments will advance to

Increasing Permissions for Housing and Addressing Exclusionary Zoning

A review of Neighbourhoods and Apartment Neighbourhoods policies in Chapter 4 of

Simplified and Modernized Zoning By-law for Low-rise Residential Zones

As-of-Right Zoning for Major Transit Station Areas

Facilitating Apartment Infill

Laneway Suite Permissions in Yorkville

Quayside is estimated to accommodate approximately 6,100 people living in 3,500

Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work

Aligning Objectives for Complete Communities

Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work

2. Advancing Housing System-Level Policy and Program Initiatives

Rental Housing Roundtable

Key recommendations from the Roundtable report include:

2. Align efforts across levels of government and collaborate to achieve

3. Revisit planning regulations and policies to identify areas for

Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work

4. Level geographic playing field to incentivize infill across all of Toronto’s

5. Connect any developer incentives to long-term affordability benefits. In

6. Identify developable public lands (City, Province, Federal) and prioritize

7. Commit significant funding to effective initiatives. It will not be possible to

Community Housing Modernization and Growth

Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work

In Toronto's hot housing market, protecting and expanding community housing is a

Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work

Affordable Housing Program Updates

 The Home Ownership Assistance Program provides financial assistance to non-

Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work

Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work

Housing Now Sites

Site Ward Estimated Total Estimated Number of

Collaboration with Post-Secondary Institutions

Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work

Working with School Boards

Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work

4. Preserving the Existing Rental Housing Stock

Rental Housing Programs

Housing Action Plan 2022-2026- Priorities and Work