GUELPH POLITICAST #Repeat – Mike's Homes (feat. Mike Schreiner)

Housing. It's an easy problem to diagnosis but it's a hard problem to solve it seems, and that has seems to have stopped the Government of Ontario from even trying. Cabinet ministers have probably been getting an earful about that this week at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, but there's one member at Queen's Park that still hasn't given up, and you will never guess who...

This past February, we were joined on the pod by Guelph MPP and Green Party of Ontario leader. The topic was his private member's bill, the Homes You Can Afford in Communities You Love Act, or Bill 156, which aims to change planning rules across Ontario to allow for fourplexes and four story apartments in neighbourhoods and allow for mid-rise buildings ranging from six to 11 stories on transit corridors and main streets. 

Now, there's been no movement on Bill 156 since it was sent to committee in February, but it seems like the Ontario government isn't doing much to try and fill the void by bringing any new policy of their own. Now, seven months after this first went to air, Ontario cities are even more desperate for housing solutions that will help alleviate the pressure on them, so can Schreiner's ideas still be the solution we're looking for?

This week you will listen to Schreiner talk again about his thoughts on how the housing crisis got this bad, the elevator pitch for the bill, and why he thinks it’s a good compromise to create density while maintaining neighbourhood character. We will also talk about municipal politics with planning, and how the bill tries to prevent NIMBYism. He will discuss “sharing the pain”, the other factors in housing like labour and the economy, and Schreiner’s expectations for the debate next week.

So let's chat again with Mike Schreiner on the subject of homes on this week's Guelph Politicast!

You can learn more about Bill 156, the Homes You Can Afford in Communities You Love Act, at the Green Party of Ontario’s website. The Ontario legislature will not sit again until after Thanksgiving, which is assuming that we don't end up going to the polls before then. Also, look for news coming out of this week's AMO conference in Ottawa.

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