59 Units Could Have Already Been Built in Willowdale
A modular housing project urgently required in the City of Toronto has been waiting to begin for over a year after the council requested Premier Doug Ford’s government fast-track the approval. The project is set to construct a 3-story building with 59 studio apartments on Cummer Avenue in north Toronto’s Willowdale community. Partially funded by the Rapid Housing Initiative, the city council was aiming to complete construction before the start of winter. In March of last year, the City of Toronto requested a ministerial zoning order (MZO) from the province to shorten the planning approval time frame, and yet the MZO has still not come.
MZOs are intended to allow the province to accelerate zoning changes without typical requirements such as public consultation. The Ford government has issued over 70 MZOs since taking office, equivalent to 4x the amount issued by Liberal governments in the last 15 years. While many have been for housing projects, quite a few have also been approved rather quickly for much larger commercial developments.
The provincial government in Ontario has been publicly calling to boost the housing supply by allowing municipalities to expedite development approvals, so housing advocates are at a loss as to why the province hasn’t approved the project in Willowdale. In the meantime, the studio-sized modular components have been sitting in storage at a TTC parking lot, ready to assemble at any moment.
Ford’s cabinet minister with the ability to grant the MZO, Municipal Affairs, and Housing Minister Steve Clark, was unavailable for an interview with CBC. However, his director of communications responded in an emailed statement, claiming that the city councils have not conducted proper consultation and due diligence in the community prior to submitting the MZO request. The city councilor for the neighborhood, John Filion, is on the record as supporting the project. Councillor Ana Bailao, the chair of Toronto’s Planning and Housing Committee, is also pushing for approval. However, the local MPP, Progressive Conservative Stan Cho, has requested Clark withhold approval. According to Cho, the desired location is not suitable due to its presence as a ‘suburban neighborhood where those with cars have the easiest time getting around’. Councillor Bailao has countered that the location is highly accessible with public transportation.
A Desperately Needed and Rare Opportunity
To learn more about the proposed project in Willowdale and the city’s effort to start building, go to CBC.ca:
“During an interview at the storage site, the NDP's housing critic, Jessica Bell, gestured toward the snow-covered units and called the scene ‘symbolic of Doug Ford's approach to homelessness and housing in general.’
‘The reason why these homes are sitting empty is because Doug Ford is refusing to say yes to a City of Toronto request,’ said Bell.
‘If we'd built these homes, then we would have 59 individuals and families moving into them,’ Bell said. ‘They wouldn't have to be living in parks and shelters, and they'd be able to rebuild their lives, raise their families and live in a safe and warm house this winter.’
‘This is a desperately needed and rare opportunity to create homes for people,’ said Kira Heineck, executive director at the Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness.
‘It's something that can be done quickly at relatively low cost to the community,’ said Heineck in an interview. ‘In Toronto, people experiencing homelessness live everywhere.’"
From Doug Ford's Government Wants Housing Built Quickly, But This Project Is In Limbo - CBC.ca
Photo Source: WIX
If you live in the Toronto area, how do you feel about the proposed project? If not, are there any similar projects occurring nearby you?
Written by S2A Modular & Associates Inc.
February 7, 2022