Bishop Shane Parker has called on the City of Ottawa “to establish clear and bold targets” to ensure that all residents, regardless of income, can access safe, sustainable and affordable housing.
In a letter to Mayor Jim Watson and city counsellors, the bishop addressed concerns about the city’s new Official Plan, particularly as it relates to the most vulnerable residents.
He said the diocese’s Homelessness and Affordable Housing Working Group (HAHWG) is particularly interested in how new inclusive zoning policy is implemented and the definition of “affordable housing” across a range of incomes and housing models.
In his reply, Mayor Watson said city staff were completing an assessment report that is required by the province prior to implementation of inclusionary zoning. There would be public consultations on the draft inclusive zoning policies early in 2022 before they go to committee and council for final approval.
Bishop Parker pointed out that the Official Plan facilitates measures to provide housing that is affordable to a broad range of residents. ”For those who are living in poverty or currently homeless, affordable housing can take a variety of forms, from supportive housing to non-profit and co-operative housing and mixed-income private sector housing.”
The Official Plan includes a section that permits the city to respond to the needs of the lowest 40 per cent of income levels “as well as other vulnerable groups.” It also commits the city to recognizing “emergency and transitional shelters and transitional supportive housing as a key component of the housing continuum …”
The Homelessness and Affordable Housing Working Group has concerns about the definition of affordable housing. The city uses the accepted provincial and CMHC definition: housing for which low and medium income households pay no more than 30 per cent of the household’s gross income for adequate shelter.
The Official Plan goes beyond the definition “to recognize the particular circumstances and challenges of the Ottawa housing market and policy goals.” While the Official Plan is permissive, opening the way for measures to house the most vulnerable, the means of implementation will ultimately determine its effectiveness.
Typically, inclusionary zoning requires developers to include a set number of below-market units to buy or sell in every residential building of a certain size. It can be mandatory or incentive-based. It is widely recognized that it doesn’t help the most vulnerable, those in extreme poverty.
In 2018, the Ontario government amended the Planning Act to allow municipalities to implement inclusionary zoning. Zones are generally restricted to areas called Protected Major Transit Station Areas (PMTSAs).
In his letter, Mayor Watson said the City will designate 26 PTMSAs where inclusionary zoning will be implemented through amendments to the Official Plan and a zoning bylaw in the spring.
Bishop Parker noted that the diocese operates six Community Ministries to help people struggling with homelessness, mental illness, those fleeing abuse or hemmed in by poverty.
“We would be unable to sustain these commitments without the funding and progressive policies of governments, but neither can government achieve its goals without the full participation of faith and community groups like those represented across the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa.”
Christ Church, Bells Corners — Deanery of West Ottawa