The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) today released Home Stretched: Tackling Ontario’s Housing Affordability Crisis Through Innovative Solutions and Partnerships, a policy brief that includes a case study of a conceived-in-Muskoka approach to the problem.
The brief outlines opportunities for the private, public, and non-profit sectors to explore innovative partnerships and approaches to address housing affordability and supply, and recommendations to build on successful models.
“Our Chamber thanks RTO12’s Kate Monk who helped inform this policy by representing us (and her RTO12 region) at stakeholder meetings led by the OCC,” says Norah Fountain, Executive Director, Muskoka Lakes Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a good example of how our partners can help our local business voice be better heard – and how forward-thinking remedies are being conceived by local partners.”
Monk is Vice-President, Strategy & Corporate Programs for Explorers’ Edge and has been a champion for A Regional Tourism Work-Integrated Housing Ecosystem, what Explorers’ Edge calls their Catalyst Housing project. Seeing approaches like this put into action cannot come soon enough in Fountain’s opinion.
“The housing crisis in Ontario has reached a critical point, with significant challenges related to both affordability and supply,” says Fountain. “Muskoka is not immune to these pressures and it’s very possible that our region has been hit hardest. We’ve been sounding the alarm about a lack of staff housing for decades and about the prospect of a looming housing crisis for all. Now we’re past that point. Attracting and retaining labour has become so hard because of it. At the same time, higher housing costs leave less income available to spend on other goods and services, which directly affects our community’s long-term economic growth.”
The policy brief provides all levels of government and industry with recommendations under the following themes: Labour and Demographics, the Housing Continuum, and Infrastructure and Land Use Planning.
Key policy recommendations include:
• Continue to establish and deliver on inclusive workforce development and immigration strategies to increase the labour pool needed to build more housing.
• Incentivize the development and preservation of affordable housing options along the continuum, including purpose-built rentals, missing middle, student, non-profit, cooperative, and supportive housing.
• Support the development and expansion of innovative technologies, data tools, retrofitting, building conversions, as well as mixed-use and climate-resilient green housing.
“The growing mismatch between housing supply and demand in communities across Ontario has made it more difficult for employers to fill labour gaps, particularly as the global competition for talent heats up,”
says Rocco Rossi, President and CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “To ensure the long-term resilience of our economy, we encourage governments to balance consultation with bold action, such as ending exclusionary zoning and working in partnership with public and private sector partners to address labour shortages.”
To help inform this brief, the OCC led a series of regional housing affordability roundtables with a diverse range of housing sector stakeholders. The Muskoka Lakes Chamber was proud to contribute to the OCC’s Housing Affordability Initiative with help from Monk of Explorers’ Edge and looks forward to working with all levels of government and industry to meet the housing needs of our communities.
Housing affordability is a pressing issue impacting communities of all sizes across Ontario. High housing costs are limiting the buying power of households, impacting businesses’ ability to attract and retain talent, and exacerbating homelessness rates throughout the province. The Government of Ontario has committed to building 1.5 million new homes by 2031 to help mitigate this crisis. This goal will require strategic action and significant collaboration across sectors and all levels of government.
The OCC would like to thank its Lead Partner, Desjardins, and Presenting Partners, Cadillac Fairview, and the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario, for their vital collaboration.
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