7 | durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday, April 28, 2022 | April 19. The median price of condos also increased, up to $736,200 in Whitby and $543,700 in Oshawa, according to the same report. Many local experts worry housing costs are moving further and further away from affordable for many Durham residents. "I think housing is a right, but we've developed a system where housing is a commodity," said Alan Robins, Durham's director of housing. With an imminent provincial election, we asked what the next Ontario government can do to improve housing affordability in Durham. MANDATE AND INCENTIVIZE DEVELOPERS Developers should be mandated to 15 per cent affordable housing in every new subdivision built in Ontario, said Wendy Partner from the affordable housing task force in Clarington. There also needs to be new incentives for developers to build more rental units. There's been very few new rental apartment buildings built in Durham recently. Most of the new buildings have been "luxury" rentals, which doesn't help with the affordability crisis. "Affordable rental really doesn't make economic sense. So to expect the private market to drive that is unrealistic," said Robins. DO MORE TO DISCOURAGE INVESTOR BUYERS Investors in the housing market, the largest growing segment, are having an upward distorting effect on prices. It's hard for the housing supply to meet the demand when there are motivated buyers bidding on houses as investment properties to generate a passive income. "They are not helping the housing market. Housing is a fundamental human need, it should not be subjected to extraordinary effects by participants not living in those houses. The provincial government needs to step in and legislate changes that will help with this," said Oshawa Cou. Derek Giberson, board chair at the non-profit Parkview Place Senior Housing Residence. RENT CONTROLS Whether through rent caps or expanding rent-geared-to-income (where rent is set at approximately 30 to 35 per cent of a family's income) outside of social housing, it would mean more people could afford housing and there would be fewer investment buyers if there was a cap on what tenants can be charged. "For housing affordability for me, it's not just about ownership. It's about affordable rental as well. I'm a big proponent of the rent-geared-to-income model. If all rental tenancy was at that, we'd all be able to afford to rent," said Leadbetter. "Rent eviction can be a horrible thing. I've seen it happen to people I know, and it's horrible. I rent, and I worry. People need to know they're secure. You cannot flourish if you're worried your world is about to come crashing down." SUPPORT CO-OPS AND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING Most of the affordable rental housing Durham has today is because of a federal-provincial investment 30 years ago -- with nothing added in the decades following. Durham needs to see more new affordable housing built and existing co-ops given more autonomy to get loans to invest in their properties. "The co-op is such a great place for people to grow and expand and learn," said Jill Kendall, Otter Creek Co-Op president. "More co-ops in the world would really help. Being able to develop these communities that are running as self-sufficient and also do rent geared to income." DONATE (OR DISCOUNT) SURPLUS LAND FOR NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING The cost of land has sky-rocketed, which makes it less and less likely for developers to buy an expensive piece of land and focus on building affordable housing. However, the province, (and the region and local municipalities) often own surplus land that could be donated or sold cheaply to create more affordable housing. WORK WITH MUNICIPALITIES It's easy to blame the building permit process of lower-tier municipalities as slowing development and driving up cost. However, local experts say the reality is more complex than that. In Durham Region, there are years worth of approved projects in the system, waiting for the developer to pull the building permit and get started. Delays can also be caused by the high cost of developing, uncertain international supply chains and a shortage of skilled trade workers. "It's a complex issue that I think has been somewhat simplified. We have years worth of inventory in the pipeline. We can't force developers to build," said Robins. "It's not the bureaucracy that's holding down the supply." However, he says, municipalities could use federal and provincial help dealing with NIMBY (Not In My BackYard) residents who oppose increased density, or any rental or supportive housing, which can delay projects. RETHINK ZONING Traditional exclusion zoning, the type which permits only single-family homes in certain areas, blocks infill development that could add some density -- and affordable housing -- to neighbourhoods. "It's been policies like that that have led to suburban sprawl, which is inefficient for municipalities and prohibits density in communities that would benefit from them," said Giberson. MATCH FUNDS FROM FEDERAL HOUSING INITIATIVES In early April, the federal government introduced several initiatives focused on housing growth and affordability in the 2022 budget. Local advocates want to see the province invest in affordable housing as well. "Everybody needs to work together to get this done. There's a moral obligation for all of us to work together and do it. I believe affordable housing is a right for everybody. If we don't do this, we're going to have more people on the street," said Partner. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: As voters prepare to head to polls in a few weeks, Durhamregion.com asked local experts how the province could help with Durham's hot housing market. NEWS Continued from page 1 'WE HAVE YEARS WORTH OF INVENTORY IN THE PIPELINE. WE CAN'T FORCE DEVELOPERS TO BUILD' SCAN THE CODE to read more Durham news online. 200 Baseline Rd., where new affordable housing could be built in Bowmanville. Susie Kockerscheidt/Metroland