Many conversations about future growth and new housing in the Greater Toronto Area focus on the environmental impacts.
However, when people are made aware that it is possible to strike a balance and meet both goals, they show strong support for policies that enable growth, according to a recent public opinion survey conducted by IPSOS at BILD’s request. The survey of 1,000 GTA residents was conducted between March 11-18, 2022 and is considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20. Participants were surveyed online via the Ipsos I-Say panel.
Expanding boundaries to enable more housing to be built at the periphery of GTA municipalities is vital to accommodate future growth. Councils of several large municipalities in the region have resisted, yet the IPSOS survey showed that 71 per cent of respondents agree with municipal boundary expansion. Similarly, 78 per cent of those surveyed support building more transportation infrastructure, such as roads and highways, to enable growth in the GTA.
When these groups were made aware of the current regulatory requirements and industry practises that protect the environment, more than a third were less likely to believe building homes harms the environment. This rose to more than half when informed of the superior energy performance of newly-built homes.
Let's talk sense. The urban boundaries already approved across the GTA can easily accommodate all the housing we'll need for the next twenty years. The issue isn't to pave over more farmland, its to build a mix of housing on it that is affordable to people at all income levels.
Ban 4N & non-resident ownership. Ban Airbnb & like platforms. Cut immigration & foreign students. Ban corporate ownership that's not purpose built rental. Raise interest rates. Tax foreign capital used to purchase real estate at income tax rates. Do ANYTHING about 💰 laundering.