It is true that these programs seldom provide cash assistance for the affordable units. But they do provide other non-cash assistance that has a real and substantial financial value.

In the past, this assistance has included additional density, waivers for fees and charges, various regulatory concessions (like reduced parking requirements), fast-tracked approvals and others. Also, cost-saving modifications are typically allowed to the interiors of the affordable units.

It will be up to each municipality to decide what forms of assistance that will be provided from the possible pool of regulatory resources.

Developers and builders under these programs clearly will have to make adjustments in order to provide the affordable units, but they will not have to carry the full cost burden of providing those units.

For their part, municipalities must be realistic in what they require from the development industry. Municipalities want the affordable units, but they also want development. It simply does not make sense for them to close down developers and builders.

Home building is private industry – just like a local auto shop or small retail store. Is the article suggesting that private industry is now to be considered the local governments “powers and resources”?

Repeatedly the article points out there are no cash incentive for Builders to provide this type of housing at below-market value, yet the homes shall be unidentifiable within their community (therefore, costing similarly to the market-valued homes).

If the government is expecting it’s local private business owners (Builders) to sell 20% of their homes for less than what that home cost to build, shouldn’t car dealers be expected to sell 20% of their cars at below-market costs? What about grocery stores providing food to 20% of their customers at discounted rates? Should we expect a grocery store employee to request our T4 at the checkout before our next transaction is completed?

As ridiculous as these suggestions sound, they are no different than suggesting inclusionary housing; and the subsequent burden it imposes on private industry.

Home Builders are often family businesses of 3-10 employees who put in an honest days work with their hands. How on earth did the government decide this should be the group who will “fix” the social housing problem in our country?

It is our understanding that Cheri Di Novo, the member who originally introduced the bill will be re-introducing it in the current sitting.

We will keep people posted on this.

Inclusionary housing is not intended to replace other social housing, but to provide affordable housing to households who cannot afford to enter the market and are not eligible for social housing

From a personal perspective poor housing can create all sorts of problems, not only with ones ability to integrate, due to high housing costs and associated living expenses leaving little left over to participate in community based activites, holidays, educational persuits and so on, but poor housing also contributes to poor health whereby mould can become a problem, as well as overcrowding whereby more individuals share costs, inorder to make even poor housing affordable, as in my case.

Even the Income Tax Act can make housing difficult for the poor since the government can erroneously declare that individuals sharing a household are common law when in fact they are sharing in order to survive, and to possibly avoid living in subsidized community housing whereby poverty, substance abuse issues, and unemployment contribute to a higher per capita crime rate.

There are also new opportunities to create a new affordable housing framework for government that will involve the new Green Technologies whereby new affordable housing projects can also become energy producers that sell a surplus back to the grid, as well as reduce energy costs for families and reduce the carbon footprint, which can also create carbon credits to be traded on the stock market for profit.

The more we learn, the more interesting life is, don’t you agree?

(We could include a apell check feature here.)