Nearly 40 per cent of Toronto’s neighbourhoods are struggling to keep up with demand for housing as the city has reported a five-year net loss of 7,195 units, according to census data from 2016 to 2021.
“There’s a phenomenon playing out here across Canada,” said Filipowicz, an independent urban policy specialist, “and Toronto is no exception.” While there has been an overall increase in new residential builds over the five-year period, it’s happening in selective parts of the country, the report said.
That means the majority of the development occurring in Toronto is in the downtown core and along public transit, especially close to Line 1 around Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue, said Filipowicz. Because of this, cities can’t keep up with demand and it’s “important for growth to occur where there’s demand.”