Item - 2021.PH25.19

The Planning and Housing Committee received the item for information.

Councillor Paula Fletcher has submitted the following Administrative Inquiry:

"City Council has been trying to deal with an ongoing homelessness crisis and housing affordability crisis for several years.  We have taken important steps like Housing Now, which leverages City land to fund affordable housing, to try to address the latter and especially during the pandemic have worked to increase the housing solutions available to help people coping with homelessness, including the construction of new supportive housing on City lands. 

The surplus lands in Toronto of the federal and provincial government would help a great deal with efforts to improve the housing situation for many Torontonians.

In January 2019, as part of Item 2019.EX 1.1 Implementing the "Housing Now" Initiative, Council adopted the following recommendations:

39. City Council authorize the City Manager to request the Federal Government to publicly release the list of surplus federal lands in the City of Toronto, and to make those surplus federal lands available to the City of Toronto for affordable housing immediately.

40.  City Council authorize the City Manager to request the Ontario Government to support the development of new mixed-income developments by providing assistance to individuals with housing and support needs through the provision of capital and operating funding to the Housing Now Initiative, and to reiterate the request to the Provincial Government to identify surplus lands within Toronto, including those identified in Appendix 4 to the report (January 11, 2019) from the City Manager, and dedicate such surplus lands and any future surplus lands to be utilized to create new mixed-income communities, including new affordable and market rental units.

Subsequently, in May 2020, as part of Item 2020.CC21.3 Creating New Affordable Housing Opportunities through Phase Two of the Housing Now Initiative, Council adopted the following recommendations:

28.  City Council authorize the Deputy City Manager, Community and Social Services to request the Federal Government, through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, to:

a. approve a portfolio approach to the funding and financing of the Phase Two Sites identified in Appendix 1 to the  report (May 25, 2020) from the Deputy City Manager, Community and Social Services and the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services; and

b. consider the City's previous requests for the Federal Government to dedicate surplus lands in Toronto to be utilized for increasing the supply of affordable and purpose-built rental housing.

29.  City Council authorize the Deputy City Manager, Community and Social Services to request the Ontario Government to support the creation of supportive housing opportunities as part of the Housing Now Initiative by providing assistance to individuals with housing and support needs through the provision of operating, and to identify surplus lands within Toronto be utilized to create new mixed-income communities, with new affordable rental homes, including supportive housing opportunities.

I request the lists of surplus federal and provincial properties in Toronto; and an update on discussions with the respective governments about making these surplus properties available to help increase the supply of affordable housing in Toronto."