Plot of land at Kipling and Finch to become affordable housing
Posted November 1, 2017 12:57 pm.
Last Updated November 1, 2017 1:18 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The province is opening up a plot of land in Etobicoke in an effort to increase affordable housing in the city.
Premier Kathleen Wynne, along with Mayor John Tory and Ontario Housing Minister Peter Milczyn, made the announcement on Wednesday morning.
“The shared goal that we have this morning, and as we work together, is to help people to find a safe, affordable place to call home,” Wynne said.
“We know that everyone deserves a place to call home and that the cost of rent or a mortgage shouldn’t be unmanageable for people in the city. They shouldn’t have to choose between making the rent or putting food on the table. That is just not unacceptable.”
The plot of land will be at Kipling Avenue and Finch Avenue West in the Thistletown neighbourhood.
The development will include a mix of affordable housing for rent or sale, as well as housing for sale at market rates.
“We’re unlocking a large parcel of land in the Thistletown neighbourhood in Etobicoke with hundreds of new mixed-income units for the community, and (we) will be working with the city to transform that provincial land into a community filled with homes of varying sizes and affordability,” Wynne said.
Affordable housing has been a priority this year for both the province and the city.
Tory said not only is it a moral imperative to provide affordable housing to those who want it, but it gives the city an competitive advantage by attracting the best and the brightest to the city and allowing them to create a life here.
As well, it works to attract new investment to the city and bring in new jobs.
“We need young people and new Canadians and all Canadians who choose to make Toronto their home, to feel that they can build their lives and careers here and have proper housing.”
The Thistletown development will be in proximity to the Finch West LRT, which is slated to open in 2022.
This is the third plot of surplus provincial land that has been designated for affordable housing development. Earlier this year, the province announced projects at the West Don Lands and on a block of land at 27 Grosvenor and 26 Grenville streets – in the Bay and College streets area.
The move is part of the province’s fair housing plan, which was designed to “help more people find affordable homes, increase supply, protect buyers and renters and bring stability to the real estate market.”
