Barrie’s mayor is cautioning against cutting out the input of residents and municipalities in the race to build more than 1.5 million housing units in the next decade.

On Tuesday, a housing affordability task force appointed by the province issued 55 recommendations to wrestle down the cost of housing and boost supply.

The group recommends eliminating municipal policies that prioritize preserving “neighbourhood character” and exempting projects of 10 units or fewer from public consultation when they only need minor variances and limiting municipalities from hosting talks beyond what is required in the Planning Act.

https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/i-m-a-bit-concerned-barrie-s-mayor-flags-issues-with-housing-task-force-recommendations-1.5773523

A group of tenants are fighting the proposed demolition of their apartment building in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood to make way for a new condo tower.

The 12-storey, 130-unit apartment building at 145 St. George Street was built in 1959.

Tenants are raising concerns about being forced into the expensive rental market if the proposal is accepted.

“It’s not an area that prescribed necessarily for intensification,” said Layton, who adds that if approved, the development could set a precedent for the rest of the neighbourhood.

“It could set a precedent that moves through an apartment neighbourghood up zoning all of them, displacing all those residents, which could in fact result in a lot more people looking for affordable rental housing in a neighbourghood it doesn’t necessarily have.”

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/tenants-fight-proposed-demolition-of-toronto-apartment-building-to-make-way-for-condo-tower-1.5709421