London’s pledge of 47,000 homes includes assertive letter to province but avoids ‘punching them in the face’

Frustration with the province’s new housing legislation boiled over in council chambers.

On Tuesday, several councillors sought to toughen the tone of the mayor’s letter pledging to achieve London’s assigned housing target.

“A letter that says, here’s what we’re going to do, but here’s what we need you to do,” asserted Coun. Skylar Franke.

The provincial government’s More Homes Built Faster Act (Bill 23) set a goal to add 1.5 million residential units in Ontario by 2031– including 47,000 in London.

City council has until March 1 to send a letter pledging to achieve the housing target, including anticipated strategies and challenges. 

Several councillors urged that the letter emphasize their numerous concerns with the new provincial housing legislation.

The legislation aims to streamline the approval of new residential development, but strips municipalities of several powers and reduces the amount of development fees collected on new construction.

It also weakens some environmental, parkland, and heritage policies.

Coun. Franke suggested the letter include reciprocal expectations.

“If we’re going to achieve these targets, you (the province) are going to need to help us with affordable units, you need to help us with funding, you need to help us with other affordability issues like rent control,” she said. 

However, Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis urged diplomacy when writing to Ontario’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing about the housing target, “We do require them to be a partner, and punching them in the face in a letter is not going to help us get the funding for some of our needs. I would encourage aggressive diplomacy.”

“There’s an opportunity for diplomacy, but it’s really important to highlight those issues that are challenging for the city,” responded Coun. Corrine Rahman. “Make it known (to the province) that those challenges (cause) consequences which we are going to bear, our taxpayers are going to have to bear.”

Coun. Sam Trosow suggested a focused approach.

“Somewhere between not saying anything, and punching them in the face, is a very clear recitation of what some of our very clear and compelling concerns are,” he said. 

There is already approval from city hall to construct 18,513 residential units that still haven’t broken ground, about 40 per cent of the target.

The pledge will include plans to develop a Housing Supply Action Plan focussed on:

• financial supports
• enterprise-wide resources
• shared accountability

“The pledge is not meant to be the be-all-end-all endpoint with the province,” assured Mayor Josh Morgan. 

Morgan added that the housing pledge letter he’ll send to the province by the March 1 deadline will include municipal concerns about Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act.

“I think they are looking for us to identify roadblocks and challenges to the process, including those that may have been caused by legislation by the province.”