Olivia Chow pledges to build 10,000 rental homes in Toronto in 2027

Olivia Chow announced Thursday a plan to build 10,000 new rental homes in Toronto next year—including affordable units—through the city's Rental Housing Supply Program, part of her broader goal to add 65,000 homes by 2030.

The announcement came the day after Chow's head-to-head debate with mayoral opponent Brad Bradford in Scarborough. Chow said the projects are ready to move forward. "If you're a nurse, a teacher or a construction worker, you should be able to afford to live here. And not in a shoebox, but in a real home. These projects are ready," Chow said in a news release. "No waiting around. Because families cannot put their lives on hold."

Chow secured $1.5 billion for Toronto through the Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build, working with federal and provincial governments. She plans to bring the projects before council at its first meeting of the new term, following the October 26 municipal election.

The 10,000-home pledge builds on more than 15,000 homes currently under construction across the city. Chow previously announced a Bad Landlords Task Force, which would bring together enforcement officers and lawyers to proactively inspect problem buildings, pursue court orders for repairs, and take action against landlords who repeatedly fail to maintain properties.

Bradford, competing for the mayoralty, has proposed different housing approaches: enforcing renoviction bylaws, establishing a maximum heat standard requiring at least one cool living space in every rental home, eliminating the municipal Land Transfer Tax, freezing property taxes, and cutting water bills by 25 per cent.

Advance voting runs until October 11, with the general election set for October 26.