Candidates for Toronto city council are being asked to pledge their commitment to the preservation and creation of more affordable housing, in the run-up to the October election.The pledge has been backed by 55 associations and agencies invested in helping renters and marginalized people, including Parkdale Community Legal Services, Sistering, Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre, Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO), Aboriginal Legal Services and the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations.Included in the proposed steps or goals: “No more homeless deaths, financial stability for Toronto Community Housing, make ‘affordable housing’ truly affordable, ensure new residential development includes everyone (and) mobilize Toronto’s resources to build more affordable housing.” Candidates are also being asked to commit to making “permanently affordable housing part of the core mandate” of city real-estate agency CreateTO, fast-track planning and permit approvals to expand housing stock, and apply an “affordable housing lens” to all planning. The pledge was emailed to all candidates on Wednesday and signatures will be posted online at TOHousingPledge.ca. Kenn Hale, the director of legal services for ACTO, said the aim is to get solid commitments to practical solutions for problems that have been discussed at city council, in one form or another, for years. “This election really is going to be about what the future of Toronto is and Toronto it seems is going to continue to grow and we have to make sure we are welcoming to people from all income levels,” Hale said. “This is the time when the people of Toronto get a choice about who is going to manage that change.”Housing is already an election issue. Mayor John Tory and mayoral candidate Jennifer Keesmaat have both pledged to boost affordable rental housing stock, promising to create 40,000 new units in 12 years and 100,000 over 10, ...
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