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20 1 6 WA I T I NG L I S T S S URV E Y R E POR T
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In 2015, the City of Toronto launched the
Open Door program in order to stimulate
the development of affordable rental and
ownership housing. The City selected five sites
of municipally-owned land, which have been
leveraged to incentivize development. Through
partnerships with private developers and non-
profit organizations, 389 units of affordable
housing will be built. By providing public land
through sale or long-term lease, speeding up
the approval process, waiving permit fees and
deferring development charges, the City has
provided significant incentives to expand the
supply of affordable housing. An additional 13
sites have been identified for the open door
going forward.
The Below Average Market Rent (BAMR)
program in the Region of Waterloo is
increasing the supply of affordable housing
options through partnerships with landlords.
The Region is providing a shallow rent
supplement that makes it possible for
households to rent units at 60 per cent of the
average rent for the area. Once a household
agrees to accept a unit through the program,
they are removed from the RGI housing
waiting list. There are currently over 260
BAMR units in the Region, and the program
helps to reduce the wait times for other
families on the waiting list.