As we move forward with our community to plan the future of our City through the Official Plan Update, affordable housing continues to be a key concern. This is not a new challenge, but it is one our Council is committed to tackling.
Last year, Richmond Hill Council endorsed an Affordable Housing Strategy, outlining actions to help provide greater affordability for our current residents and future generations. More recently, the City has brought together a group of experts to help us prioritize short and longer-term efforts we, as a municipality, can implement.
Last week, the Ontario Government published its Housing Affordability Task Force Report. While I am pleased to see some of the recommendations, such as community improvement plans and inclusionary zoning around major transit station areas, are consistent with actions Richmond Hill is already considering, I find some other recommendations deeply concerning.
In particular, I fundamentally oppose any recommendation that reduces public input. We are here to serve the public. Any suggestion that their voices should not be heard is counter to our roles as government officials. Public participation is critical to the success of any community. We can look for additional ways to improve the development application process, but limiting public engagement should not be one of them.
An increase in housing supply requires not only planning approvals but also actual construction of the units themselves. Although Richmond Hill continues to improve on municipal planning approval processes, thanks to additional funding from the province, the fact is there are over 11,000 units approved by the City that remain unbuilt by property owners and developers. Shortening the approval process will not result in units being built faster or being priced more affordably.
While I welcome the province’s commitment to the issue of affordable housing, it will take all of us working together to make a meaningful impact. Richmond Hill is committed to working in partnership with our residents, all levels of government, the building and development sector, and others, to help create more affordable choices for residents. I will continue to advocate for our City as a member of the Ontario Big City Mayor’s Caucus and I implore the province to include municipalities, and our residents, in these important discussions.
