Affordable Housing, Supply Chain Expo & Skilled Trades Summit Canada

We are excited to share the success of the tradeshow at our recent Affordable Housing Summit! A huge thank you to all the exhibitors who showcased innovative solutions, services, and technologies aimed at making housing more affordable and accessible. Your contributions are essential to driving progress in this critical sector. We’re enthusiastic about the connections made and the potential partnerships that will continue to grow from this event. Together, we can create a future where affordable housing is a reality for everyone. #AffordableHousingSummit #Tradeshow #Innovation #SustainableHousing #Community #NonProfits #Collaboration #AffordableHousing #ThankYou

I’m excited to share a unique opportunity to support an organization making real change in our housing community: Matrix Cares. On May 24th, I was honored to join the Matrix Cares team as a panelist for the Landlord and Tenant Board discussion. They recognized our advocacy efforts and connected me with housing leaders and elected officials who share a commitment to improving Ontario’s housing landscape. This platform gave me the chance to voice our community’s concerns about the Landlord and Tenant Board and Residential Tenancies Act and to recommend meaningful solutions. Thanks to Matrix Cares, I’ll be joining a roundtable discussion in March with elected officials and staff—a rare chance to advocate directly for changes that will not only increase housing supply but also strengthen the relationship between private housing providers and Ontario’s government. Matrix Cares is a nonprofit on a mission to advance education, empowerment, health and wellness advocacy, community development, affordable housing, and environmental sustainability. They’re succeeding in bringing industry experts and government leaders together to make a real impact, and I’m proud to support them. Their commitment to action and community improvement has empowered me to amplify our message and work toward lasting change. Additionally, I’m excited about the possibility of connecting Matrix Cares with FrontLobby I believe this partnership could provide valuable tools to support tenants and landlords, aligning well with Matrix’s mission to create a fair, balanced, and sustainable housing environment. I’m also looking forward to welcoming Shawn Allen from Matrix Cares to our Ontario Landlords Watch Channel soon. Shawn is a true game-changer and action-taker, working tirelessly for our industry and community. Please consider donating to Matrix Cares or becoming a volunteer. Their work is creating a brighter future for Ontario’s housing community, and they deserve our full support. https://matrixcares.ca/ Thank you Shawn Allen ??????????

I’m proud to stand alongside the Ontario Associate Housing Minister Vijay Thanigasalam as we advocate for essential housing solutions at Queen’s Park! The recent CMHC Residential Housing Report highlights some critical issues in our housing market that we cannot ignore: Over 12% of new mortgages have a Total Debt Service (TDS) ratio greater than 50%, and more than 45% are in the 40%-50% range. This underscores the need for more affordable housing options. Delinquencies at Mortgage Investment Corporations (MICs) are rising rapidly, and we’re also seeing increases in car loan and credit card delinquencies. These trends are concerning for many families. With over 1.2 million mortgages set to renew in 2025, many homeowners could face mortgage rate hikes of more than 2%. This could significantly impact housing supply and affordability. Additionally, we must address the fact that the costs of new homes are higher than they should be, with approximately 30% of their price attributed to taxes. This is an area where we can make meaningful changes to improve affordability if the province removes their portion of the tax from the development charges. During our discussions, we also focused on several key housing and landlord-tenant issues, such as the need for enhanced tenant background checks, the potential benefits and drawbacks of open banking and credit checks, and the challenges posed by lengthy eviction processes. It’s crucial to adopt a balanced approach to advocacy, recognizing the perspectives of both landlords and tenants. As we tackle these important challenges, I’m committed to pushing for policies that support sustainable housing solutions for all Ontarians. Together, we can make a difference! Let’s keep the conversation going! #HousingAdvocacy #OntarioHousing #AffordableHousing #MatrixMortgageGlobal #MatrixCares

Toronto’s housing market continues to grapple with skyrocketing property prices and limited supply, making affordable homes increasingly difficult to find. Renters are feeling the pressure too, as rental prices rise steadily. Factors like high demand, population growth, and a slow pace of new construction are contributing to this crisis, forcing many residents to spend a large portion of their income on housing and pushing some to consider relocating. Our last Affordable Housing Summit captured these pressing challenges in a powerful way, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and community advocates to discuss real-world solutions. This video highlight from the event showcases key moments where we delved into the realities of Toronto’s housing crisis and explored strategies for creating more affordable housing options. Stay tuned where we’ll continue the conversation on how we can address these challenges and make housing more accessible for all. video: Frodillah Isaiah M. Joseph Jonathan Diamond Aled ab Iorwerth Brad Bradford Jeremiah Shamess, Building and Land Sales Broker Jennifer McKelvie Mark Richardson Kevin Ashe HousingNowTO Vijay Thanigasalam Gary Anandasangaree Marlon Bray Richard Lyall Anthony Furey Ian Jones MRICS Nick Gefucia Mike Yorke #AffordableHousing #TorontoHousingCrisis #B3NT #HousingSolutions #RealEstateChallenges #CommunityEngagement #HousingSummit2024 #Documentary #AffordableLiving

RESCON is encouraging all levels of government to push for immediate action to lower #taxes, fees, levies and development charges on new housing and speed up approval times for developments. “We continue to face a perfect storm of high taxes, endless #bureaucracy, particularly at the municipal level of government, and an approvals system that is slow, dysfunctional and killing the housing market, especially for first-time buyers,” RESCON president Richard Lyall stated in an article in Canadian Contractor Magazine. #housingsupplycrisis #onpoli #cdnpoli #topoli Paul Calandra Patrick Flannery

MISSION STATEMENT ON MENTAL HEALTH IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: It's a first draft, and I'd love your feedback on it. Please do so in the comments below. ?? "To create a safe, supportive, and stigma-free work environment in the construction industry where mental health is prioritized as an integral part of employee well-being and organizational success. We commit to raising awareness, providing accessible resources, and fostering open communication to build a resilient workforce that thrives both personally and professionally." OR a simplified version... "Our goal is to make mental health a priority in the construction industry by creating a safe and supportive workplace where everyone feels comfortable talking about mental wellness. We are committed to providing the right tools, resources, and open conversations to help our teams stay healthy and strong, both on and off the job." ???????????????????? ?????? ???????????????????? ??????????????: 1?? Awareness & Education 2?? Access to Resources 3?? Reduced Stigma 4?? Leadership Commitment 5?? Workforce Resilience 6?? Mental Health Integration in Health & Safety 7?? Reduction in Absenteeism 8?? Feedback & Continuous Improvement There are 3 parts to each of these Actionable and Measurable metrics: Action, Metric, and Why It Matters. However, for the sake of brevity (and character count), I'll share that part in a later post. Please let me know what you think of it to date. What if anything you have to add to it. Chop it up. I don't care. Just give me feedback, please. #mentalhealth #community #construction #constructionindustry #constructorsguild

Yours truly blathering on.. ?? Out of the box philanthropic disruptor of affordable housing turned over to local Charities or Non-profit organizations in Canada and the US on completion. www.myjoyliving.com #developer #construction #planning #design #affordablehousing #affordablerentals #realestate #commercialrealestate #condos #realestateindustry #interestrates #loaninterest #inflation

Toronto's housing crisis cannot be resolved with a one-size-fits-all solution. It will require significant collaboration and innovation to make meaningful progress. Laneway homes and garden suites offer a way to utilize existing, underutilized residential land and infrastructure, helping people avoid being priced out of the market due to low housing supply. This type of innovation deserves more attention, as it could play a crucial role in the comprehensive solution that the market needs. I would like to thank Former Toronto Councillor Joe Mihevc for inviting me into the garden suite he built for himself and his wife. This allows them to age in place while one of their children raises a family in the main home. If you are interested in learning more about this process or want to explore whether it might be a suitable option for you, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. #affordablehousing #gardensuites #Lanewayhousing

?? Don’t miss out on Rescon’s virtual housing summit! ?? The key message? We need immediate action to lower taxes and fees, speed up the approvals process, and create conditions that encourage housing development. As Rescon’s Lyall points out: “Development charges have turned into a major revenue source for municipalities, funding infrastructure and amenities. But a significant portion isn’t being spent—it’s sitting in reserve funds. These levies need to be reduced so the savings can be passed on to homebuyers.” ?? Let’s work together to make housing more affordable! #HousingCrisis #AffordableHousing #RealEstate #ResconSummit