Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is keen to sell more than 900 units of social housing stock to the highest bidder and use some of the millions it generates to plug the $774-million hole in the city’s budget for next year.
The plan to put social housing units up for sale is the brainchild of the mayor’s hand-picked adviser, a former city councillor brought in to clean house after a spending scandal at Toronto Community Housing Corp.
Case Ootes, who is set to leave his post next week, made public Thursday some of the advice he is delivering to the mayor and the new board of the social housing agency – replacements for the previous board ousted by city council this spring. Mr. Ootes estimates the selloff of all the agency’s single-family homes could raise more than $400-million.
That’s money, he argues, that is desperately needed to solve a “crisis situation” created by a $650-million repair backlog that is so severe it is forcing the country’s largest landlord to leave units empty because there is no money to fix them. This, at a time when 77,000 households are on its waiting lists.
Toronto’s mayor was quick to give his public backing to that proposal, but indicated he has other ideas about what could be done with the dollars it generates.
“I agree. Let’s sell these homes. Let’s take that revenue,” he said. “Obviously, we need the money to fund next year’s budget.”
Asked about the crumbling state of city-owned housing, Mr. Ford said a portion of the profit could be directed to repairs. “Some could go to housing. Some could go to next year’s budget. It all depends. We would have to see.”
The mayor’s comments – and Mr. Ootes’ proposal – set the stage for a showdown between the city’s popular leader and critics who have long feared he is intent on dismantling the affordable-housing provider. Mr. Ford came to power with a pledge to cut costs by eliminating waste and the troubled housing agency – the subject of damning audits that discovered questionable spending by staff, including a spa day, a jaunt to Muskoka and gifts of chocolates – has become a convenient symbol of that excess.
Full Article
Source: Glob & Mail
The plan to put social housing units up for sale is the brainchild of the mayor’s hand-picked adviser, a former city councillor brought in to clean house after a spending scandal at Toronto Community Housing Corp.
Case Ootes, who is set to leave his post next week, made public Thursday some of the advice he is delivering to the mayor and the new board of the social housing agency – replacements for the previous board ousted by city council this spring. Mr. Ootes estimates the selloff of all the agency’s single-family homes could raise more than $400-million.
That’s money, he argues, that is desperately needed to solve a “crisis situation” created by a $650-million repair backlog that is so severe it is forcing the country’s largest landlord to leave units empty because there is no money to fix them. This, at a time when 77,000 households are on its waiting lists.
Toronto’s mayor was quick to give his public backing to that proposal, but indicated he has other ideas about what could be done with the dollars it generates.
“I agree. Let’s sell these homes. Let’s take that revenue,” he said. “Obviously, we need the money to fund next year’s budget.”
Asked about the crumbling state of city-owned housing, Mr. Ford said a portion of the profit could be directed to repairs. “Some could go to housing. Some could go to next year’s budget. It all depends. We would have to see.”
The mayor’s comments – and Mr. Ootes’ proposal – set the stage for a showdown between the city’s popular leader and critics who have long feared he is intent on dismantling the affordable-housing provider. Mr. Ford came to power with a pledge to cut costs by eliminating waste and the troubled housing agency – the subject of damning audits that discovered questionable spending by staff, including a spa day, a jaunt to Muskoka and gifts of chocolates – has become a convenient symbol of that excess.
Full Article
Source: Glob & Mail
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