Metrolinx land sold to developers must include affordable housing, advocates say

Pirawin Namasivayam lives in the basement of his parents' Scarborough bungalow because finding an apartment in Toronto's east end has proven unaffordable for the 21-year-old. 

Namasivayam, a student at the University of Toronto, says he and some of the peers are now considering moving west to Alberta or the Prairies after graduation simply to afford housing. 

He says more affordable housing in the city's east end would deter him from thoughts of a life far from home.

"I think a lot of people have kind of given up on living in Toronto," said Namasivayam. "You're going to be stuck living with your parents for the next 10, 20 years, trying to scrounge up enough money."

Namasivayam, who started volunteering with the advocacy group More Neighbours Toronto during the pandemic, says the surplus provincial land that Metrolinx has been selling to developers could be a great way to create more affordable housing.

The problem? The government isn't attaching any requirements to build more affordable housing to the land that the transit agency is selling off. And that leaves delopers free to charge whatever they like for the units they build.

One such piece of land is 8 Dawes Rd., which was recently sold by Metrolinx to a developer. Steps from the Danforth GO train station and Main subway station, it's an accessible location, yet the deal contained no requirements for affordable housing units — and advocates are calling that a big missed opportunity.

"It's a poor decision," said Namasivayam.

When land is near transit hubs, it's even more critical that some units are affordable, he says, adding many on more modest incomes don't own cars.

Mark Richardson, a volunteer with the group HousingNowTO, says the Dawes Road location was the only site available for development in the area near the Danforth GO station that was government-owned.

"The province needs to do better," said Richardson. "If you want affordable housing development, don't waste your land and do deals like this that don't have affordable housing baked into them."

He is concerned this could keep happening, especially as Metrolinx — a Crown agency of the government of Ontario — sells or leases more land to developers as the Ontario Line is being built.

"Metrolinx has tons of land. And when they dispose of their land, they put zero affordable housing requirements," said Richardson.

Metrolinx did not provide a response in time for publication.