Ontario Chamber Reacts to Joint Statement on the National Housing Strategy

(Toronto – May 28, 2024) – Today, Daniel Tisch, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC), released the following statement in reaction to a joint statement on the National Housing Strategy:

“Today’s joint federal-provincial announcement will further support the housing development that Ontario critically needs. Solving the housing crisis demands partnership between all levels of government and private sector stakeholders, and we thank Ministers Fraser and Calandra for bringing this spirit to this critical file. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce will continue to work with governments to champion affordable housing options along the continuum, a key enabler of growth and prosperity.”

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About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) is the indispensable partner of business and Canada’s largest, most influential provincial chamber. It is an independent, non-profit advocacy and member services organization representing a diverse network of 60,000 members. The OCC’s mission is to convene, align and advance the interests of its members through principled policy work, value-added business services and broad engagement to drive competitiveness and economic growth in the province.

For more information, please contact:
Samir Janmohamed
Senior Public Affairs Specialist
Ontario Chamber of Commerce
samirjanmohamed@occ.ca | Mobile: (647) 882-9878

Backgrounder
In 2023, the OCC released Home Stretched: Tackling Ontario’s Housing Affordability Crisis Through Innovative Solutions and Partnerships. The policy brief provides all levels of government and industry with recommendations under the following themes: Labour and Demographics, the Housing Continuum, and Infrastructure and Land Use Planning.

Key recommendations include:

• Continue to establish and deliver on inclusive workforce development and immigration strategies to increase the labour pool needed to build more housing.
• Incentivize the development and preservation of affordable housing options along the continuum, including purpose-built rentals, missing middle, student, non-profit, cooperative, and supportive housing.
• Support the development and expansion of innovative technologies, data tools, retrofitting, building conversions, as well as mixed-use and climate-resilient green housing.

Learn more about the initiative by clicking here.