Ontario is facing a severe housing shortage as population growth outstrips new home construction. The Missing Middle Initiative (MMI) reports that Ontario built only 40% of the homes needed to keep pace with population growth, highlighting the urgency of addressing this issue.
Ontario faces a significant housing shortage as its population growth outpaces new home construction. A recent report by the Missing Middle Initiative (MMI) revealed that Ontario 's population increased by approximately 500,000 between June 1, 2023, and June 1, 2024, while only 82,000 new homes were built during the same period. The MMI estimates that Ontario needed around 200,000 new homes to keep up with population growth , meaning the province built only about 40% of its requirement.
This persistent gap between population growth and housing supply is a primary driver of the ongoing housing crisis in Ontario. The MMI's analysis is based on their RoCA (Rest-of-Canada) Benchmark, which calculates the number of new housing units needed based on population growth and age-adjusted household formation rates. While this benchmark is not perfect, it provides a data-driven assessment of the housing shortfall. According to Statistics Canada, Canada's population grew by 1.2 million people between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024. Applying the RoCA formula, Canada would have needed to add over 500,000 homes, with 200,000 of those in Ontario. The report highlights that Ontario's homebuilding efforts have been consistently lagging behind other provinces for several years, ranking in the bottom half in terms of new homes built per capita. While the province has set an ambitious target of 1.5 million new homes by 2031, current data suggests that this goal may be challenging to achieve. However, there are some signs of progress. Recent initiatives by cities like Vaughan and Toronto aim to address the housing crisis by reducing development charges and streamlining the approval process for new housing developments. These efforts, along with ongoing research and policy discussions, may help bridge the gap between population growth and housing supply in the long term
Housing Crisis Ontario Population Growth Homebuilding Missing Middle Initiative Roca Benchmark Development Charges
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Canada Faces Soaring Rental Demand Amidst Population Growth and Housing CrisisCanada's rental market is experiencing unprecedented demand due to factors like population growth, inflation, limited rental supply, and obstacles in constructing new apartments. The influx of immigrants is a significant driver of population increase, leading to a surge in demand for rental housing among new Canadians.
Read more »
Federal housing minister calls on Ontario to do more for social housingFederal Housing Minister Nate Erskine-Smith is calling on the Ontario government to do more to address social housing needs in the province.
Read more »
Modular Housing: Addressing Atlantic Canada's Housing CrisisNine Yards Studio, a Charlottetown firm, is utilizing modular construction to tackle the housing shortage in Atlantic Canada. They are currently part of a project building two six-storey apartment complexes with 228 factory-built modules, marking a significant step in modular housing development.
Read more »
Northern Ontario's Homelessness Crisis Worsening at Four Times the Rate of Southern OntarioA new report, Municipalities Under Pressure, reveals that homelessness in Northern Ontario is growing at an alarming rate, four times faster than in Southern Ontario. The report calls for $11 billion in new funding to end chronic homelessness by 2035, highlighting the urgent need for increased support and resources in the region.
Read more »
Federal Government Urges Ontario to 'Do More' on Homelessness CrisisCanada's housing minister called on Ontario to contribute more funding to address the growing homelessness crisis, particularly concerning encampments before winter. The federal government announced funding deals with Ontario and Saskatchewan municipalities, bypassing provincial governments after they failed to match federal funding. Ontario maintains it is investing in homelessness prevention and claims the federal government is underfunding the province. The federal government, however, insists on increased action from Ontario and highlights the severity of the issue, citing a recent report suggesting over 80,000 people were homeless in Ontario in 2024.
Read more »
Tahlequah's Calf Dies, Adding to Southern Resident Orca Population CrisisTahlequah, the famous orca who carried her deceased calf for 17 days, has experienced another devastating loss. Her newborn calf, J61, has died shortly after birth, marking the second calf Tahlequah has lost.
Read more »