Your bi-weekly briefing on policy developments, advocacy insights and the conversations that shape both regional progress and your business success. October 1, 2026 Sign up | View online Hello, With the October 26th election just weeks away, housing has become the issue that shapes whether Torontonians can build a life in the city. Our recent Ipsos polling shows more than half of residents say the city's prosperity is on the wrong track, and 63 per cent name housing affordability among their top three economic concerns. More than one-third say they're likely to leave the city within the next five years, rising to roughly half of Gen Z. For those thinking about leaving, cost is the reason cited most often. Housing starts tell the same story. Toronto recorded only 4,557 between January and May 2026, compared with 12,866 over the same stretch in 2023. Behind those numbers are projects caught in a loop, because approvals take too long, costs keep climbing, and buildings never leave the drawing board. Two things would start to break that loop, and they're at the heart of our municipal Housing and Land Use issue guide. The first is cost. Development charges have risen more than 50 per cent in three years, and every dollar of that adds to the price of a new home before a shovel hits the ground. The second is speed. Toronto has already promised faster approvals and more housing options through the Housing Accelerator Fund. Now it needs to deliver. And as Toronto looks for room to grow, it can't trade one kind of opportunity for another. Employment lands hold 92 per cent of the city's manufacturing jobs and contribute $52 billion to GDP. Convert them carelessly and the city risks losing the work that pays for the homes it's trying to build. Toronto can do both. This guide is part of our three-part What's at Stake municipal election series. If you haven't yet, dive into the other two, Congestion & Transit Infrastructure and Funding Public Services. If you missed the mayoral debate we hosted last week with the Toronto Star, catch up with our debate recap. While City Hall has a big role to play to ensure more housing gets built, there’s also an important role for the provincial government. This morning, we released A Blueprint for Growth, calling on the province to harmonize Ontario's hundreds of different zoning rules and modernize the Building Code so builders can deliver more homes, in more forms, faster. Toronto can't solve a housing shortage with rules that make building harder, and every family that leaves or business that can’t grow puts Toronto’s future prosperity at risk. That’s what’s at stake this election. What to Expect in this Issue ▸ By the Numbers: Building the Case ▸ 3 Questions on Toronto's Real Estate Crunch ▸ Featured Events     ▸ Policy at a Glance SOURCES: S,W,T: Housing and Land Use Issue Guide O: A Blueprint for Growth 3 Questions on Toronto's Real Estate Crunch Housing is on everyone's mind this election, but the full picture goes beyond the price tag. We spoke with our Senior Policy Coordinator Samuel Carlisle to unpack how the housing shortage is affecting the city's future, and what we're calling for from Toronto's next council and from Queen's Park. 1. Housing affordability is a major issue for those looking to buy a home, but why is it also a broader economic concern? "Because when people can't afford to live here, they take their skills somewhere else. Our Ipsos polling found that 76 per cent of Torontonians are concerned the city could lose talented workers and young professionals. And it's already happening: between 2014 and 2025, Toronto lost a net 240,000 residents aged 25 to 44 to other parts of the province. Employers then struggle to hire, investment becomes less attractive, and growth slows. We need to turn that around, and it starts with building more homes, in more forms, at prices that work for the people who power this economy." 2. Would converting Employment Lands help solve the housing crisis? "We don’t lack land for residential development, we lack the regulatory permission to use those lands effectively. Employment lands, on the other hand, are more finite and harder to replace once they are lost. Toronto has already lost 764 hectares since 2006, and only about 20 per cent of sites converted since 2013 have ended up as housing. Adding homes next to industrial uses also isn't simple, it takes uses like retail and offices to provide buffers between industrial uses that create emissions, vibrations, or noise. When housing gets too close to industrial uses, we often require the businesses to mitigate the problem, forcing them to make costly investments that they otherwise wouldn't need to, rather than investing to make their business more productive. Often, the result is businesses simply move, in many cases out of the region entirely, leading to a loss of production, jobs, and tax revenue." 3. Toronto needs more density, but not everything has to be a tower. What's standing in the way of mid-sized buildings? “Lots of things. In regulatory terms, there are two parts of a building. The inside, which is governed by the building code, and the outside, which is governed by the zoning code. These are the focus of the report we released today. As buildings get taller, builders are subject to more restrictive code requirements. For example, above two storeys, buildings are required to have at least two staircases. This can make it more difficult to build ‘missing middle’ housing. But there are examples of low and mid-rise that have been built with a single stair through a special negotiation. The problem, however, is despite demonstrating that it can be done safely and deliver housing more affordably, it didn't set the precedent for the next builder, so the situation remains. For zoning, it can either prohibit the homes we want and need outright, or it can be so restrictive as to force buildings to take on shapes that aren’t practical to build, or to the detriment of their quality.” Check out the full Housing and Land Use Issue Guide, read A Blueprint for Growth, and explore the rest of our What's at Stake platform. Get Involved Policy at a Glance WHAT'S AT STAKE Congestion, Transit and Infrastructure Funding Public Services Housing and Land Use New polling shows Toronto residents worried about the city's future WHAT’S AT STAKE IN THE MEDIA Toronto has tools to tackle its budget crisis. It needs a fundamentally different strategy At stake in Toronto’s election: housing costs and gridlock conspire to drive talent away 5 key takeaways from last night’s fiery Toronto mayoral debate Unsure voter? Toronto's board of trade can be your guide HOUSING AND LAND USE REPORTS AND MEDIA A Blueprint for Growth Toronto board of trade calls for regulatory reforms to spur housing growth ANALYSIS: Should the province rip up Toronto’s zoning rules? The real estate crisis beyond housing: Canada’s economy lacks land for industrial use The Power of Connection: Unlocking Canada's Most Valuable Waterfront Priced Out: The High Cost of Development Charges The Race for Space Ripple Effect: Unlocking Toronto's Waterfront Potential Out with the Old: New Paths to New Housing Reading this as a forward? Subscribe to stay connected. 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