Considering leaving the City? Have friends or kids that left to pursue a higher quality of life? That’s increasingly normal as more people fail to see Toronto as a long-term option.

The Problem

Young adults are leaving as housing inadequacy drives them further away. Adequacy refers to the quality of housing beyond the materials. Is it big enough? Secure? Can you pay for it? Does the location have a range of basic amenities so they aren’t in a food or service desert?

Our young adults are fleeing to small cities and taking their talent with them. Who can blame them? If they aren’t just looking to work and sleep, having space is a pricey endeavour in Toronto. With the recent surge in home prices, even making double the median income doesn’t cut it. If they want to have a family or even a space-intensive hobby, they have to look elsewhere.

Toronto can’t just be a transitory work experience for young Canadians. If the City doesn’t allow personal growth, it risks becoming a dystopian worker camp. Only the richest can afford to live, and the poorest will feel trapped. Let’s fix it.

We need residents to see themselves having a family, and growing old here.

Our Solution

We have a plan to encourage more adequate housing through various incentives. We’re going to leverage our City-owned housing and development charge plans to encourage adequacy. We’re going to build city where you’ll want to go to school, raise a family, and retire in. We all deserve better.

This is a complex problem that requires a deep dive into what adequacy means. We look forward to breaking down the issue in detail in the coming days.