{"id":928306,"date":"2026-10-10T23:06:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T23:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/928306\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T23:06:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T23:06:09","slug":"in-fords-ontario-what-can-torontos-mayor-do-for-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/928306\/","title":{"rendered":"In Ford\u2019s Ontario, what can Toronto\u2019s mayor do for housing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The two leading candidates for Toronto\u2019s next mayor<\/a> are pitching big ideas to solve the\u00a0housing crisis, but there\u2019s a catch: it\u2019s not always the mayor who makes the rules.<\/p>\n

Olivia Chow<\/a> has emphasized public land, non-profit housing, tenant protections and intergovernmental deals. Brad Bradford has focused on private market construction, density, development speed and reducing costs for homebuyers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But neither approach is entirely within the mayor\u2019s control.\u00a0Between a campaign promise and a set of keys handed to a Toronto resident, there is a long chain of decisions, many of them happening outside City Hall<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever the city does, it\u2019s through the powers of the province,\u201d said Frank Clayton, a housing consultant and senior research fellow at Toronto Metropolitan University\u2019s Centre for Urban Research and Land Development.<\/p>\n

A poll conducted by Ipsos<\/a> for\u00a0the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) found housing is a defining issue for nearly 70 per cent of voters in this municipal election.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n \"Why
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

The importance of winning over voters outside the core is down to simple electoral math of post-amalgamation Toronto, expert says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n \"Why
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

The importance of winning over voters outside the core is down to simple electoral math of post-amalgamation Toronto, expert says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The next mayor will have meaningful powers over how Toronto zones neighbourhoods, which developments it approves, how city-owned land is used and how much the city charges in taxes and development fees. But the province can change the rules those decisions are governed by and the Ford government<\/a> has used those powers more frequently than previous governments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA local politician may stand up and say they don\u2019t like a decision, but if it\u2019s the direction of the province, our decisions at the city level have to be consistent with provincial policy,\u201d\u00a0said Gregg Lintern, Toronto\u2019s chief planner from 2017 to 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The question then becomes: which candidate can deliver on their promises within the powers of the mayor\u2019s office?<\/p>\n

Queen\u2019s Park in control<\/p>\n

Lintern said provincial policy has increasingly emphasized allowing the market to drive housing construction, while also being more prescriptive in some areas, such as requiring greater density around major transit stations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the current government says that there should be more density around transit stations, the city has to follow the path it lays out,\u201d Lintern said.<\/p>\n

\"Transit\"<\/p>\n

Caledonia LRT station is seen with the Fairbank lowrise rental apartment building in the background just west of Caledonia Road on Eglinton Avenue.<\/p>\n

R.J. Johnston\/Toronto Star file photo<\/p>\n

He said the relationship is not always one where the province moves first and the city follows. Sometimes, Toronto has gone further than the province in allowing new housing or the city has addressed Toronto-specific problems, only for Queen\u2019s Park to later change the rules.<\/p>\n

For example,\u00a0the province has permitted up to three homes on a single lot, while Toronto went further by allowing four units and a backyard suite<\/a> in some instances. For garden suites, Lintern said the city required angular planes to limit their impact on neighbours \u2014 but the province removed the city\u2019s ability to impose it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt reached right into the nuance of the zoning,\u201d Lintern said.<\/p>\n

He also pointed to Toronto\u2019s green-roof bylaw. The city obtained provincial authority under\u00a0former premier Dalton McGuinty\u00a0to create the bylaw and then developed its own requirements, which Lintern said reflected Toronto\u2019s particular concerns around stormwater and the urban heat island effect. But then, 15 years later, Ford\u2019s government\u00a0removed the city\u2019s authority to require green roofs.<\/p>\n

In 2019, the province also overhauled the city\u2019s plans for Midtown and the downtown core. The city had limited heights in order to shape growth, protect the character of surrounding neighbourhoods and ensure new development was supported by adequate infrastructure. Its planning rules also placed greater emphasis on living conditions inside new buildings, including access to natural light. But the province modified the plan, allowing taller and denser buildings. In parts of Midtown, the province\u2019s changes more than doubled the maximum building heights.<\/p>\n

\"Lintern\"<\/p>\n

Former chief Toronto planner Gregg Lintern says provincial policy has increasingly emphasized allowing the market to drive housing construction.<\/p>\n

R.J. Johnston\/Toronto Star file photo<\/p>\n

Lintern recalled the province made\u00a0\u201chundreds of modifications\u201d to plans for Yonge and Eglinton and the downtown core, without consulting the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my experience, the collaboration ebbs and flows. I would say that it\u2019s gotten more constrained over the course of time,\u201d Lintern said.<\/p>\n

Lintern said the back-and-forth between the two levels of government is not necessarily unusual, but the effectiveness of the system depends in part on how well they work together.<\/p>\n

The Star, simplified<\/p>\n

Breaking news, interactive polls, video, and voice notes. Star stories you\u2019ll want to share, delivered where you\u2019re already chatting. Follow the Star on WhatsApp<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Keesmaat, Toronto\u2019s chief planner from 2012 to 2017 and founder of an urban planning consulting firm,\u00a0said provincial and federal decisions can affect Toronto\u2019s housing market without City Hall having control over them, such as\u00a0provincial planning rules and federal immigration policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMunicipal politicians are the recipient of those decisions that deeply impact the outcomes that you see in cities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She added\u00a0the province has taken a more active role in decisions that were once largely left to municipalities, and while the province has been pushing for more density and cutting red tape, Keesmaat said some changes have\u00a0had the countereffect of slowing development.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/p>\n

Decisions at the more senior levels will inevitably impact Toronto\u2019s housing situation, experts say.<\/p>\n

Nathan Denette\/The Canadian Press file photo<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the provincial government says, \u2018we\u2019re going to rezone things,\u2019 then the\u00a0development industry essentially sits back on their hands,\u201d Keesmaat said. \u201cThey\u2019re not going to spend two years and $7 million going through a rezoning process if the province is about to change it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She emphasized the city controls a number of important levers. It can change zoning, approve development applications, put city-owned land toward housing, set municipal taxes and development charges, and fund affordable housing and homelessness programs. But having the power to change those things does not mean the city can guarantee that housing will be built.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest lever that the city has is working with other orders of\u00a0government,\u201d Keesmaat said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What the city can do: zoning<\/p>\n

Zoning and development charges are two of Toronto\u2019s most impactful tools, as they determine\u00a0what kinds of homes can be built in different neighbourhoods\u00a0and\u00a0how much they cost to build.<\/p>\n

Chow has focused on continuing\u00a0existing city programs and government agreements to get projects moving, while Bradford has argued for faster approvals, lower development costs and more housing types, including \u201cmissing middle\u201d homes such as multiplexes, townhouses and small apartment buildings.<\/p>\n

Keesmaat said one of the biggest misconceptions in the housing debate is that approvals automatically translate into construction.<\/p>\n

She said the economics of projects have become a bigger obstacle, particularly due to construction and financing costs and development charges.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n \"Multiplexes
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Opposition to multiplexes has been fierce in the city\u2019s outer wards, but that\u2019s not the only reason for slow uptake.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n \"Multiplexes
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Opposition to multiplexes has been fierce in the city\u2019s outer wards, but that\u2019s not the only reason for slow uptake.<\/p>\n

To that end,\u00a0in June, the city under Chow secured up to $1.5 billion through a federal-provincial program in exchange for reducing residential development charges<\/a> by 40 to 60 per cent from 2026 to 2029. The city estimates the measures could support about 44,000 homes.<\/p>\n

David Amborski, a professor emeritus at Toronto Metropolitan University\u2019s School of Urban and Regional Planning, noted\u00a0that rezoning to allow for more density across the yellowbelt \u2014 a large swath of single-family neighbourhoods \u2014 could be a useful tool within the city\u2019s grasp, but politicians are often hesitant to campaign on the idea because homeowners may resist changes that would allow more homes on their streets.<\/p>\n

What the city can do: use city land<\/p>\n

Toronto owns land that can be used for housing, which gives the mayor a tool that does not depend entirely on persuading private landowners to sell or build.<\/p>\n

Susannah Bunce, an associate professor of human geography at the University of Toronto Scarborough,\u00a0said public land gives the city an opportunity to prioritize housing that the private market may not produce in sufficient numbers, including co-operative, non-profit and other nonmarket housing.\u00a0The limitation is that city land is finite, and putting it toward housing does not eliminate the cost of construction or the need for operating money once a building is complete.<\/p>\n

Chow has proposed a larger role for municipal land and non-profit housing, and has\u00a0previously committed to creating 25,000 new rental homes on city-owned land, including affordable and market-rate units. Since she took office, city council has set a larger goal of 65,000 rent-controlled homes, including 41,000 affordable rentals and 17,500 rent-controlled market homes.<\/p>\n

Bradford\u2019s approach puts more emphasis on changing the conditions for private developers including zoning, approvals and development costs.<\/p>\n

Clayton said that adding market-rate housing can also free up less expensive homes as households move through the market, a process known as filtering.<\/p>\n

\"RL_debate_29.JPG\"<\/p>\n

Toronto\u2019s mayoral candidates have many pitches for housing, but must operate under the power of the province.<\/p>\n

Richard Lautens\/Toronto Star<\/p>\n

But Bunce cautions that simply adding supply does not guarantee that the new homes will be affordable to households at the bottom of the market.<\/p>\n

\u201cSupply is not the panacea that a lot of politicians think it is,\u201d Bunce said. \u201cThe strategy around the supply really needs to focus on where it\u2019s needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

What the city can do: taxes<\/p>\n

Bradford has proposed\u00a0to eliminate Toronto\u2019s municipal land-transfer tax<\/a> on the first $1.1 million of an eligible principal residence for first-time buyers and existing homeowners moving within the city.\u00a0The change could save a buyer who is at the threshold about $18,000,\u00a0according to TRREB.<\/p>\n

The city has the authority to change its municipal land-transfer tax, but doing so would leave a hole in the budget, with Bradford saying the proposal would\u00a0cost the city about $300 million a year in lost revenue.<\/p>\n

Chow, by contrast, has defended the municipal land-transfer tax. Her administration also raised the rates on luxury homes and she has pointed to the vacant home tax as a source of money for affordable housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole reason why no one else has done it is because the city relies on the funding that comes from the land transfer tax,\u201d Keesmaat said.<\/p>\n

Amborski said reducing the tax could improve housing mobility and make buying less expensive, but agreed that the city would need to find another source of revenue.<\/p>\n

What the city can do: tenant protection<\/p>\n

Chow has made tenant protection a central part of her housing platform. Her administration passed renoviction rules\u00a0requiring landlords seeking to remove tenants for major renovations to go through a municipal permitting process. She has also proposed \u201cBad Landlords Task Force\u201d<\/a> that would target buildings with repeated maintenance violations.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Bradford\u2019s housing platform includes\u00a0expanding purpose-built rental construction and reducing costs for rental projects, rather than relying primarily on new municipal tenant regulations.<\/p>\n

\"Ford\"<\/p>\n

Only the province, under Doug Ford, can change rent control policy.<\/p>\n

Arlyn McAdorey\/The Canadian Press file<\/p>\n

However, Ontario controls one of the most important political talking point for tenants: rent control.<\/p>\n

Toronto can regulate property standards, licensing and enforcement, but the mayor cannot change the province\u2019s rent control rules.<\/p>\n

That distinction has become especially visible as the province has changed housing and tenancy laws in ways Toronto has opposed. The city has challenged provincial legislation it said would make some evictions easier, arguing they\u00a0could increase pressure on Toronto\u2019s shelter system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The two leading candidates for Toronto\u2019s next mayor are pitching big ideas to solve the\u00a0housing crisis, but there\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":928307,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[49,48,44],"class_list":["post-928306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/928306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=928306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/928306\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/928307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=928306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=928306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=928306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}