Fifty-seven community groups, including Social Planning Toronto, came together to call on the Ontario Government to give municipalities the authority to implement inclusionary zoning policies and build much needed affordable housing. Through this legislation, municipalities would have the power to require developers to create affordable housing within any new residential development. Inclusionary zoning policies offer one important tool in the policy tool kit to address Ontario’s affordable housing crisis.

The open letter was sent to Ted McMeekin, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, calling for his leadership to pass the legislation before June 9 when the legislature breaks for the summer.

For many years, municipalities, planners and community organizations have urged the provincial government to pass the enabling legislation to allow municipalities to adopt inclusionary zoning policies. Yet the Province continues to drag its feet. There are already two private members’ bills (Bill 3 and Bill 39) on inclusionary zoning before the legislature. The Ontario government can easily move one of these bills forward and give municipalities these important powers.

Read the open letter to Minister Ted McMeekin calling on the Province to act now on inclusionary zoning.