Renters make up 57% of our community, and Toronto’s current housing policy is designed to squeeze us. We need a square deal. Our campaign will take both a pocketbook and big-picture approach to housing, making it easier to build housing while easing the cost of rent in the immediate term.
If elected to serve Ward 11 University–Rosedale, we’ll push for three key changes to how we build and tax housing – all to ensure that you can find a home you can afford and that serves your household’s needs.
End the Tenant Tax Markup:
Align municipal tax ratios across all residential classes at 1.0 so that renters are not paying a disproportionate share for the services everyone relies on.
Fix the Family-sized Unit Penalty:
Introduce a flat, per-door development charge and increase the development charge waiver from six units to ten units to incentivize the construction of family-sized units over studio apartments
Push for Land-Based Taxation:
Lobby the province to allow Toronto and other interested municipalities to split property tax rates between land and buildings, and cut loopholes that allow landholders to save on taxes by letting lots sit empty.
A Fair Deal to Drive Affordability in our City
More Homes, Lower Rents
This is my plan to deliver more affordable housing for Toronto:
Implement Fair Property Taxes
- Align the municipal tax ratios across all residential classes at 1.0 to ensure renters aren’t paying a disproportionate share for the services we rely on.
- End the obvious inequity where multi-residential buildings (seven units or more) built before November 14, 2024, pay 73% more in municipal property taxes than residential buildings like single-family homes and condos.
- Ensure that property tax savings are passed down to renters by pursuing yearly equalizations equivalent to a 2.5% rate reduction, enough to trigger rent reductions, until tax ratios meet at 1.0.
Simplify DCs & Encourage Family-Sized Units
- Charge a flat, per-door development charge (DC).
- Increase the existing DC waiver from six to ten units to speed up and lower the cost of developing multiplexes and small apartments.
- Condition the waiver on the development of family-sized units: if a developer builds a ten-unit building, at least four must include at least two closed bedrooms.
- Make these changes permanent when the Mayor’s existing DC reductions expire in 2029.
Push for Land-Based Taxation
- Lobby the province to allow Toronto to split property tax rates between land and buildings.
- Advocate for a gradual increase in the land portion of the rate and a reduction in the building portion to remove the disincentive for building small-scale structures.
- Incentivize more efficient land use where building multiple homes on a lot won’t incur a significantly higher tax bill than a single-family home.
Join the fight for More Homes, Lower Rents:
Our current property taxation framework rewards those who leave land vacant and penalizes those who build.
By treating renters fairly and taxing the value of land rather than just the building, we can increase our housing supply outright, encourage dense housing development where it fits best, and crack down on those who leave their lots empty and our city less beautiful.
Sign the petition below to show your support, and join the fight for More Houses, and Lower Rents in our city.
By signing this petition, you authorize the Gabe Blanc for Ward 11 Campaign to collect your contact details, and contact you about this petition and his campaign.