The City of Toronto is advancing a new inclusionary zoning policy to facilitate the creation of affordable housing in the city within the next five years, according to a recent press release.

Toronto Mayor John Tory announced the city’s plans and initiatives last week that will be implemented to create and protect affordable housing.

The legislation went to a housing committee vote on Oct. 28, and was voted to advance the policies.

The committee, including Tory, approved a staff report proposing an inclusionary zoning official plan amendment, zoning bylaw amendment and draft implementation guidelines.

This proposed policy is one of the steps the city is taking to facilitate the creation of affordable rental and ownership housing in Toronto. Tory’s initial announcement mentioned three phases, as well as three reports that were under consideration.

The policy will still go through another vote at a city council meeting in November to be fully implemented. If this goes through, Toronto will be the first city in Ontario to implement inclusionary zoning, the press release reads.

This means that the city can secure five to 10 per cent of condominium developments as affordable housing, and increasing that number to between eight to 22 per cent by 2030. Phase one is expected to begin in early 2022.

Requirements for affordable housing will vary depending on areas around the city, with the highest concentration being in the downtown core.

In the city's policy, rents and ownership prices would be based on proposed new income-based definitions of affordable housing, targeting households with an annual income of between $32,000 and $91,000.
The target for these policies is approving 40,000 affordable rental homes and 4000 new affordable ownership homes by 2030.

Following the committee vote, Tory said, "I'm proud to support our inclusionary zoning plan, the first of its kind in Ontario. This will get more affordable housing built in our city and the one-year review of the policy the committee supported today will ensure we strike the right balance."

Further, Tory said he is pleased to see Toronto leading the shift in housing developments in Ontario and that "affordability is protected for the future."

Deputy Mayor and Chair of the Planning and Housing Committee Ana Bailao said, "Implementing the inclusionary zoning policy in Toronto will keep us on the road to our goal of creating 40,000 affordable homes by 2030. Having a consistent approach to affordable housing development will ensure that building inclusive, balanced communities that support our residents are top of mind in all new development plans."

More details on the policies and initiatives are expected to be released following the City Council’s November meeting.

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