Finding solutions to cut red tape and build more housing
Markham, ON – On July 9 the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark visited Tony Wong Place in Markham, a unique and successful 120 room affordable housing facility. MICAH President, Mike Clare, property managers, board members and tenants of Tony Wong Place shared their experience about the development and operation of the facility and their ideas about how to improve the supply and accessibility of affordable housing.
Minister Clark outlined how the Ontario government is helping to build more homes that meet the needs of people in every part of the province through the More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019 – comprehensive legislation to tackle the housing crisis. He also outlined the Community Housing Renewal Strategy will help build the right types of homes in the right places, including rental housing and secondary suites – from basement apartments to apartment buildings and non-profit co-ops. As more rental units are built, tenants will have more options and rents should come down. The Minister also emphasized the need to cut red tape and eliminate many of the barriers that cause long delays in the approval and development process for new housing.
“Our government wants to put affordable home ownership in reach of more Ontario families, and provide more people with the opportunity to live closer to where they work,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “That’s why we have and will continue to consult widely and act swiftly to face the housing crisis we inherited head on.”
Tony Wong Place was named in honour of the late Regional Councillor, Tony Wong, a strong advocate for affordable housing. Completed in 2010, Tony Wong Place is a rental apartment building with 120 units owned and operated by East Markham Non-Profit Homes (EMNPH), a community- based organization with a volunteer board of directors from MICAH. The project was funded by the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program, the Region of York, the City of Markham and member churches.
“It was a pleasure to host my friend and colleague, Minister Clark to Markham and showcase a unique and highly successful example of affordable housing,” said Markham-Thornhill MPP Logan Kanapathi. “Like many municipalities we need to do more to reduce the affordable housing wait list and the red tape causing development delays. Today it takes approximately 10 years to complete either a low-rise or high-rise development project in the Greater Toronto Area. This needs to be fixed and quickly.”