National Housing Week 2023
NATIONAL HOUSING WEEK: UNLOCKING SOLUTIONS TO CANADA’S DEEPENING HOUSING CRISIS
NATIONAL HOUSING WEEK: WHAT’S AT STAKE?
For many, the housing affordability crisis is a series of news reports that we read about – but don’t feel directly. For many others the crisis is all too real and is inflicting life-threatening challenges to their economic prospects, personal health and wellbeing, and basic shelter and security needs.
To launch our National Housing Week, we ask key social organizations to paint the picture of the housing affordability crisis as it stands in late 2023 to ask: What is at stake?
Moderator: Ana Bailão, Head of Affordable Housing & Public Affairs, Dream
Sharon Avery, President & CEO, Toronto Foundation
Leslie Woo, CEO, Civic Action
Monika Wyrzykowska, Policy Director, TRBOT
CONDO VS PURPOSE BUILT RENTAL?
Homeownership is now all but unattainable even for upper middle-income families. Alternative ownership models have failed to scale, and public policy is now overwhelmingly focused on new purpose-built rental housing. Is the roaring condo boom over? Can new rental supply deliver the housing affordability that Torontonians need?
This session will explore the future of the attainable condo market and assess the future of affordable rental. What will it take to make either model work?
Maud Chaudhary, Chief Investment Officer, Parkbridge
Renée Gomes, Senior Vice President, Development, DiamondCorp
Tobias Oriwol, Vice President, Investments, Tricon
Michael Mann, Vice President, Project Feasibility, Tridel
Duncan Smith, Vice President, Investments, The Daniels Corporation
BUILT FOR PURPOSE? THE CASE FOR THE “RIGHT SUPPLY”
Our market driven housing industry has not delivered significant seniors, student, workforce or deep affordable housing for marginal incomes – all considered essential to addressing our affordable housing crisis.
What are the shortages of these large demographic housing needs and how can we meet them? Are there new approaches to residential development & financing that we need to embrace?
Moderator: Richard Joy, Executive Director, ULI Toronto
Cherise Burda, Executive Director, City Building Research and Innovation, Toronto Metropolitan
Karen Chapple, Director, School of Cities, University of Toronto
Aly Damji, Managing Partner, Real Estate
Joanne Lam, Co-Founder, Picnic Design Inc.
NON-MARKET HOUSING PT I: NOT-FOR-PROFIT SECTOR
Jeff Evenson, Vice President, Partnerships and Strategy, Options for Homes
Mwarigha M.S, Vice President, Housing and Homelessness Services, WoodGreen
Adrienne Pacini, Partner, SHS Consulting
NON-MARKET HOUSING PT II: THE RETURN OF SOCIAL HOUSING?
Low per capita dwelling units in Canada, as compared to other OECD countries, is well documented. Less understood is that Canada more acutely lags in the supply of government owned and not for profit affordable housing units. Toronto’s new mayor, Olivia Chow, is seeking a return of a healthy, non-market driven housing supply – including the re-emergence of a public sector developer model.
Is a government led social housing models realistic in the 2020’s? if so, how could this model re-emerge at scale and speed to meet the most acute, low income, housing affordability crisis?