2021/10/14
WHEREAS the City of Ottawa’s Official Plan is intended to provide a vision for the future growth of the city and a policy framework to guide the city’s physical development;
WHEREAS the City of Ottawa declared a Housing and Homelessness Crisis and Emergency on January 29, 2020;
WHEREAS at an average of $1,379 for all bedroom apartment types (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation rental Market reports, 2020), Ottawa has the second highest rents for a major urban centre in Ontario;
WHEREAS the number of households on the Centralized Waiting List for affordable housing exceeds 12,000;
WHEREAS the City of Ottawa’s Report, Community and Family Shelter Data 2014-2019 indicates that the number of families in emergency shelters grew by 10.1%, to 1,182, in 2019;
WHEREAS the average length of shelter stay overall in Ottawa rose 12.2% between 2018 and 2019, to 101 days;
WHEREAS Canada is a signatory to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and through the National Housing Strategy Act (2019), expressed a commitment to realize the right to adequate housing;
WHEREAS the draft Official Plan does not set targets for construction of core-affordable housing despite the City’s self-declared housing emergency and its 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan;
BE IT RESOLVED THAT minimum targets for the creation of new core-affordable housing that will remain core-affordable in perpetuity be added to Section 1.1 of the Draft Official Plan alongside Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Targets to reflect the housing and homelessness emergency as well as the City of Ottawa’s climate emergency, and to demonstrate the City’s commitments to equity and accessibility;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT core-affordable housing and ending homelessness be added to and considered in Section 2.1, Big Policy Moves, to reflect the severity of the housing and homelessness emergency and the importance of ensuring the presence of core-affordable housing, affordable housing, and family housing as part of the fabric of every community in the City of Ottawa; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Draft Official Plan be amended as follows:
Amend Section 1.1 by replacing the sentence: “We will need to create an affordable supply of options across the city for different household types and income groups.” with “We will need to create an affordable housing supply with a variety of dwelling options for different household types, which prioritizes core- affordable housing for lower-income families and individuals in perpetuity to reflect the City’s housing and homelessness emergency. Furthermore, we need to prioritize core-affordable housing which will allow Ottawa to realize the right to adequate housing by 2046 and to eliminate chronic homelessness by 2030.”
Amend section 2.2.1 to specifically include the need for affordable housing, both for singles and larger families, within every housing development project and to explicitly support a transition to more inclusive communities within the five big moves.
Amend section 2.2.5 under policy intent, to specifically include “accessible housing for those with mobility-related disabilities, including core-affordable housing for these individuals and families.”
Amend section 4.2.1, paragraph 1 by adding, “f) ensuring a mix of housing affordability options in all new and infill developments, to ensure that targets for total number of affordable and core-affordable housing units are met in every neighbourhood.”
Amend section 4.2.2 paragraph 4 to replace “the City shall set a target that 10 per cent to 15 per cent of all new residential units be affordable.” with “the City shall set a target that at least 20 per cent of all new residential units be core- affordable, that at least 20 per cent of all new residential units be affordable, and that at least 20 per cent of all new residential units be housing suitable for families.”
Amend section 4.2.2 paragraph 4 to replace “deep affordability” with “core- affordability.”
Amend section 4.2.2 by adding “5) In accordance with the City’s 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan the City shall establish income and maximum rent housing targets, including targets specific to “15-minute neighbourhoods” to ensure that such developments do not come at the expense of lower-income residents.”