Overview
Homeownership – an integral part of the “Ontario Dream” – has never been this out of reach. After six years of Doug Ford as Premier:
- Ontario is building fewer homes annually than it did 50 years ago. In 1974, with half of today’s population, Ontario built nearly 110,000 homes—almost 40,000 more than we’re building now.
- Ontario isn’t just falling short historically—it’s falling behind its peers. Alberta is building double the amount of homes compared to Ontario on a per capita basis, with British Columbia not far behind at 1.6 times more homes.
- The average rent in Ontario has risen at nearly twice the rate of inflation, while average home prices have increased by almost 50%.
- One in five people in Ontario now spends over half of their income on housing.
- Homelessness has increased nearly tenfold, with more than 230,000 Ontarians now without a home and more encampments popping up every day in our neighborhoods.
Ontario was once a national leader in attracting jobs, investment, and growth. It was a destination for people across the country and around the world, drawn by the promise of better opportunities, affordable homes, and a high quality of life. Not anymore. Ontario has gone from being a leader to a laggard, and the exodus of young people and families from our province continues to accelerate.
Doug Ford has failed to address soaring home prices, skyrocketing rents, and collapsing housing starts with the decisive action required to tackle Ontario’s housing crisis. He’s hitting less than half of his own housing targets, ignoring recommendations from his own housing task force, and carving up the Greenbelt to build McMansions for his rich buddies.
Not only is life less affordable, but the economic and social consequences are devastating and permanent. Businesses, hospitals, and schools are struggling to attract and retain talent as young families, teachers, nurses, PSWs, construction, and manufacturing workers abandon Ontario for provinces where housing is more affordable. As a result, under Doug Ford over the last 6 years, Ontario has lost 65,000 jobs, and there are 140,000 more unemployed people.
Doug Ford’s inaction is costing Ontario its future.
Solution
More Homes You Can Afford is the first pillar of Team Bonnie’s Housing Plan, which will be the boldest and the most ambitious housing strategy ever proposed by a provincial political party in Canadian history. Our plan will build more homes, stop punishing first-time homebuyers, homeowners, seniors, and renters with sky-high taxes that make housing unaffordable, and develop infrastructure that support new neighbourhoods. Team Bonnie will:
Cut taxes on housing to empower middle-class families and restore the dream of homeownership by:
- Eliminating the Ontario Land Transfer Tax for first-time homebuyers, seniors downsizing, and non-profit homebuilders.
- Scrapping Development Charges on new housing, cutting costs by as much as $170,000 on each new family-sized home.
- Introducing the Better Communities Fund (BC Fund) to help municipalities cover infrastructure costs, encouraging sustainable and affordable development. Bring affordability, predictability, and fairness back to the rental market by:
- Getting more co-op and rental apartments built by removing punitive and discriminatory extra taxes that increase costs, and drive up rents and charges.
- Introducing fair, phased-in rent control to protect tenants from unfair increases, drawing on proven systems in places like Manitoba, Oregon, and California.
- Resolving new landlord-tenant disputes in under two months and clearing the disastrous 53,000-case backlog at the Landlord-Tenant Board urgently.
- Establishing the Rental Emergency Support for Tenants (REST) Fund – a provincial rent bank to provide short-term, interest-free loans for vulnerable tenants facing financial emergencies, preventing evictions and homelessness.
