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September 21 and 22
2 days, 2 disciplines, 2 ways to participate – defining our professional roles and uniting to build more equitable, accessible and inspired communities.
#2GETHER2022
In communities across Ontario, new housing development is resulting in the loss of existing private-market rental housing. Compounding this issue, neighbourhoods experiencing significant development pressure are often also observing significant rent increases. One planning tool currently available to Ontario municipalities to help address these challenges is a rental housing demolition and conversion control by-law. Since 2007, the City of Toronto’s rental housing demolition and conversion by-law has required anyone proposing to demolish six or more housing units, of which at least one is a rental unit, to obtain a rental housing demolition or conversion permit. Toronto also has complementary rental demolition and conversion official plan policies that require one-for-one replacement of rental housing at similar rents where six or more existing rental units with affordable or mid-range rents are proposed to be demolished. From 2013 to 2015, the city secured the replacement of over 800 affordable and mid-range rental units proposed to be demolished, many of which were replaced in new condominium developments. To provide support to renters affected by development, Toronto’s rental housing demolition and conversion by-law and official plan policies also require a tenant relocation and assistance plan that typically includes financial compensation above and beyond the requirements of the Residential Tenancies Act and the right to return to a replacement unit. In this session, City of Toronto housing policy staff will share their successes, challenges, and lessons learned from implementing the rental housing demolition and conversion by-law and policies over the past 12 years. The discussion includes how Toronto’s policies and practices can be tailored to the specific needs of different communities looking to protect their existing rental housing stock.