The Housing Crisis in Toronto: Can We Build Our Way Out?

Housing in Toronto has reached crisis levels, with rents and house prices increasing every year and showing no signs of slowing down. In today’s episode, our guests discuss the ways that the City is trying to address the issue, and what more can or should be done to bring prices down.

Ash Navabi is a senior Economist for Housing Matters, a Toronto not-for-profit which advocates for increasing the housing supply via the changing of zoning regulations, as well as a lecturer at Guelph University.

Natasha Cheong is a PhD urban planning student at the University of Toronto, examining municipal scale responses to high-cost North American housing markets. Before attending graduate school, she worked in the non-profit housing sector and for the City of Vancouver’s Homelessness Services department providing community and housing supports to vulnerable populations on the Downtown Eastside.

Jennifer Keesmaat is passionate about creating places where people flourish, and was named one of the “most powerful people in Canada” by Macleans, one of the “most influential” by Toronto Life, and one of the top Women of Influence in Canada. Jennifer is a Distinguished Visitor in Residence Emeritus at the University of Toronto, and continues to share her vision for cities of the future and her belief in the importance of public sector leadership through a variety of publications including The Guardian, Macleans, The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and on her podcasts, Invisible City and Within Reach. Keesmaat serves on the Advisory Board of the Urban Land Institute, Toronto and the International Panel of Experts, Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Special thanks to Senior Producer Erin Anderson-Birmingham, Junior Producers Hongyu Xiao and Duncan Cooper, and Executive Director Vienna Vendittelli for producing this episode.

Music Credits:

“Marry Me Archie” by Alvvays