Thread by @HousingRightsCA

Ontario's #Bill23 may create housing supply, but not the affordable kind that lower-income households need. It also threatens the little affordable housing that still exists.

Our Director of Policy @BaharShadpour presents our recommendations ➤ housingrightscanada.com/wp-content/upl…

#ONpoli🧵

We urge Ontario to remove #Bill23's provisions to control municipalities’ ability to regulate the demolition and conversion of rental housing. Municipalities need this tool to preserve affordable housing, and without it thousands of low-income renters could be displaced. #ONpoli

Instead, Ontario should support local investments to preserve, maintain and retrofit existing affordable housing. This would cost significantly less than financing emergency relief initiatives if renters are displaced due to limited rental housing protections. #ONpoli #Bill23

We urge Ontario to restrict development charge exemptions to affordable housing projects to help reduce construction costs. The current proposed development charge exemptions would provide relief for developers with no guarantee of creating new affordable housing. #ONpoli #Bill23

Ontario's proposal to restrict how municipalities can apply IZ should be reconsidered. Proposed limits to set-aside rates & affordability periods will weaken this tool and pass the cost of preserving affordable housing to the next generation. #ONpoli #Bill23

Good legislation and housing policy must be created collaboratively, by proactively incorporating the needs of renters and households who are struggling the most. Policies that risk displacing people from their communities fail to uphold their #Right2Housing.

#ONpoli #Bill23

Many recent measures in Ontario focus on speeding up construction, with a focus on creating "attainable" housing for some, but not affordable homes for all. We urge the Ontario government to give more serious attention to affordable housing moving forward. #ONpoli #Bill23