Toronto is facing a crushing housing shortage. Here's how a new city committee plans to tackle it

Advocates and city councillors are hopeful Toronto's change in leadership will usher in an age of better housing policy and rapid construction amid an ongoing housing shortage.But just how will that be achieved?

Toronto's new planning and housing committee is inheriting the task of not only easing the city's housing shortage and affordability crisis, but helping it achieve the municipality's largertarget ofbuilding285,000 homes by 2031.

Comprised of both councillors who supported and opposed Olivia Chow during the mayoral byelection, the commitee may have somequestioning how it'll work together to solve the problem.

But the mayor,speaking to CBC Radio's Metro Morningon Friday,said sheisn't worried about differences in ideology getting in the way. Ifanything, she thinks having diverse perspectives can help lead to more innovation and collaboration.

"What I'm seeing, which is really encouraging, is a real sense of commitment. Let's give this a try," said Chow.

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Toronto's housing plan has holes and whoever is elected mayor will have to find ways to fill them

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Toronto's housing plan has holes, and whoever is elected mayor on June 26th will have to think of ways to fill them. CBC Toronto's Chris Glover looks at the scale of the problem, and the innovative solutions that have worked in other cities.

The committee, with Coun. Gord Perks as chair and former chair andcity planner Coun. Brad Bradford as vice-chair, is tasked with delivering on Chow's campaign promise ofbuilding 25,000 rent-controlled homes over the next eight years.

And while it may be a lofty goal to get shovels in the ground within the next three year's of Chow's term, Perks says the city has no choice but to deliver if it wants to get ahead of the housing shortage.

"Itsimply has to be done," said Perks, adding he's "thrilled" and a "little bit intimidated" at being tapped to lead the committee.

"The City of Toronto can't succeed unless people from all income brackets can find a place to live so that they can do the work of helping us to build the city."

Who will focus on what?

Chow said she wants the committee to start off by seeing through any outstanding private developer contracts,takingstock of the cityland to get non-profit developers involved or have the city start building unitsthrough its real estate branch CreateTO, and finding ways to keep tenants from getting evicted.

Perks said he aims to "put our foot on the gas" infour main areas. They include hiring newstaff and planners; maximizing existing programs like itsrental acquisition initiativewhere the city buys buildings that would otherwise be sold to developers; getting more low-incomehousing builtthrough non-profits, social housing and co-ops;and strengthening tenant protections.

Meanwhile, Bradford who opposedChow during the mayoral byelection and took aim at her housing plans sayshe wants to support Chow howeverhe can, even if he doesn't fully agree withher approach.

To do this, he said he'll focus more on the planning side by moving forward with as-of-right zoning, meaning projects would largely avoid lengthyapproval processes, building code reforms andspeeding up permit timelines all things that could help developers beyond the city get involved.

"The best thing that local government can do is create an environment where it is faster, easier and more affordable to deliver housing," said Bradford.

The rest of the committee is comprised by councillors Jamaal Myers, Frances Nunziata, Michael Thompson and Josh Matlow, who was also a mayoral rival of Chow's.

In related roles, Coun.Paula Fletcher will be the mayor's designate at the Toronto Community Housing Corporationand at CreateTO, which is the arm responsible for developing city-owned land, while Coun. Vincent Cristantiwill serve on the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation.

What do residents want to see?

Damien Moule, a volunteer with advocacy group More Neighbours Toronto, says the groupcares less about who builds housingand more about how many homes are getting built.

"Housing is housing. We need more of it," said Moule.

"We'd like to see the speed of housing construction in the city, whether it be public or private, increase dramaticallyand for rents and housing prices to stop increasing as fast as they have been."

Mark Richardson, an affordable housing advocate andthe technical lead of HousingNowTO.com,a volunteer group that keepstabs on the progressof the city'ssignature affordable housing program, Housing Now,says he hopes the committee learns from previous mistakes and drawn out projects.

He cited the timegap betweenthe start of constructionon the first Housing Now projectearlier this week andthe program's launchin 2019.

"Mayor Chow and and her planning and housing committee hopefully have learned those lessons and will adapt and be nimble," said Richardson.

While ideological differences on the committee could be a point of tension, Richardson says the housing crisis is something that goes beyond political stripes.The only thing that matters now is that they work together, he says.

"It's not progressives and conservatives. It is about delivery."