On June 23rd 2021, the Ontario Green Party unveiled a new detailed affordable house plan, detailing the strategy and future of the state infrastructure.

Toronto, Canada. Image:© Digital Vision/Getty Images

A city with problems

Ontario Green’s new plan for affordable housing was unveiled on June 23rd 2021. The $23.5 billion proposition is set to take place over ten years, and aims to build around 100,000 affordable houses for the Province. Moreover this plan was revealed on the Ontario Green website with a video that shows the party leader, Mike Schreiner, giving details about the plan.

The affordable housing plan is an important milestone for the party and the city. Toronto and the urban areas surrounding the city have been dealing with major issues for over the last several years, notably homelessness and affordable housing. Furthermore a report from the City of Toronto in 2018 showed that unaffordable housing is the key driver of core housing needs in Toronto”. Another major problem the city is facing is the number of vacancy homes.

“We’re starting to see … reports about the large number of homes in places like Toronto, Mississauga, and Peel Region that are simply vacant; not only condos, but also single-family homes,” Schreiner said to iPolitics.

A detailed plan

Ontario Green Party leader ,Mike Schreiner, gave a detailed plan for the multi-billion dollars project. One of the key points of the plan is the five billion dollar building program that aims to reach net-zero-emissions housing. Furthermore the other major points of the plan is the $11.5 billion dollars that the province of Ontario intends to spend on; build more affordable homes, restore community housing, and fight homelessness.

“We’ve looked at best practices around the world, and really tried to apply them to the Ontario context to address the housing-affordability crisis we’re facing,” Schreiner said

The plan aims at helping the communities in most distress. In addition of the $11.5 billion, an extra $6.5 billion dollars over ten years would be allocated to increase supportive housing, covering half of the operating expenditure for community housing, and grant more funds for women shelters.

The total cost of the plan is an estimated at $23.5 billion dollars.

Green Party together and new taxes

The Ontario Green party is proposing to finance this project by imposing several new taxes. One of them is to apply a tax on all speculator, not only foreign buyers. In addition, Schreiner wants to add a new vacancy tax to help fight the ongoing housing crisis. Schreiner argues that wealthy individuals buying houses without living in it, creates this vacancy problem and deregulates the housing market.

Federal Green Party Leader Annamie Paul and Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner pitched a united vision for housing policy on Monday. (Photo via Schreiner’s Twitter account)

Leader of the Green Party of Canada, Annamie Paul, said they would collaborate with Schreiner and the Ontario Green Party. Furthermore both leaders are promising to tackle and fight the housing problems effectively and rapidly.

“Seeing how we, as a federal party, can be reinforcing the great plans of our provincial counterparts is very important to us,” Paul told iPolitics. “Housing is a shared responsibility.”

This comes as a good news for Paul, as the Green Party is currently in a midst of a controversial turmoil regarding the departure of Jenica Atwin and the raising tension with Paul’s former political advisor, Noah Zatzman. Furthermore this serves as important news for Paul as it could help her ratings for the upcoming meeting on July 20, to vote on a motion of non-confidence.

Arthur Saint-Mleux

Originally from France, moved to Montreal 4 years ago. With a bachelor degree in International Studies with a Middle East focus. Enjoy sports, concerts, and travelling. Adopted a cat named Oscar.

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