Pamela Gough will employ creative housing solutions to tackle Etobicoke’s growing affordability crisis

Pamela Gough

“”We know that affordability is a major problem in Toronto,” Pamela Gough notes in a recent interview. “Housing affordability is a really major problem.”

Newcomers to Toronto are finding it extremely difficult to find appropriate accommodation that fits their budget.

“And many of us,” Gough says, “who have the good fortune to already be established in housing, are finding that our children are telling us they’re going to have to move out of town, rather than stay in Toronto, because they simply can’t afford to live in Toronto.”

“And I believe,” she adds, “that there are many different ways that we can look at this. There are creative solutions out there.”

Inclusionary zoning

“Densification, within limits – within the limits set out by the Official Plan – is definitely one way we can do it.”

Densification around public transit nodes also makes a good amount of sense, she adds. “Again, it must be kept within the limits of the Official Plan.”

The province’s new legislation allowing inclusionary zoning can also address affordability.

“Toronto now has the ability, under that legislation, to potentially stipulate for certain developments – or potentially even for all developments; it depends on what the city wants – that a percentage of those are to be kept at price ranges that are reachable for middle to lower-middle class families.

“That’s another way we can go about it.

“So I won’t go into a lot of details, but definitely we do need to tackle some solutions for increased housing affordability.”

Click here to read transcript of interview on which this news report is based >