Ontario Announces Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Team Members

Municipal leaders and industry experts will provide advice on market housing initiatives

March 14, 2023

TORONTO — Today, the Ontario government announced the members of the Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Team. The new members join Chair Drew Dilkens, the Mayor of Windsor, and Vice Chair Cheryl Fort, the Mayor of Hornepayne. The Team will evaluate progress and provide advice on implementing Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plans and tackling Ontario’s housing supply crisis.

The new members are:

Marlene Coffey, Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association
Simone Swail, Senior Manager, Government Relations, Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada
Adam Brown, Founding Partner, Sherman Brown
Jim Harnum, Founder, Municipal VU Consulting Inc.
Tony Irwin, President and CEO, Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario
Richard Lyall, President, Residential Construction Council of Ontario
Paula Tenuta, Senior Vice President, Policy and Advocacy, Building Industry and Land Development Association

“I’m pleased to appoint seven experts to our Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Team,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “Their advice and broad range of experience in municipal planning, the not-for-profit sector and the housing industry will get more homes built faster and help us reach our goal of 1.5 million new homes by 2031.”

The government recently introduced a series of measures including More Homes for Everyone, and More Homes Built Faster to deliver both near-term solutions and long-term commitments to build more homes faster to put home ownership within reach for all Ontario families.

“We’ve developed policies and reduced red tape to help address Ontario’s housing supply crisis,” said Michael Parsa, Associate Minister of Housing. “The Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Team will help us assess how those plans are working and help more Ontarians find a home that meets their needs and their budget.”

The Team will have its first meeting in the coming weeks.

Quotes

“Ontario’s housing crisis has been years in the making and will require bold ideas and vision,” said Chair Drew Dilkens, Mayor of Windsor. “Legislation enacted by the government challenges stakeholders and municipalities to think outside the box to reduce costs that are ultimately passed on to homebuyers. The Implementation Team will continue this approach by embracing change and questioning the status quo. Ontario should be a place where everyone that aspires to homeownership is able to obtain it. As Chair, I look forward to working with the experts and industry leaders appointed to complete the Implementation Team’s mandate.”

“Welcome aboard to the newly appointed members of the Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Team,” said Vice Chair Cheryl Fort, Mayor of Hornepayne. “This diverse and talented team has the skills, expertise and know-how to get the job done for Ontario. We have a tremendous challenge set before us and through a consistent, measured, and results-driven approach we will provide invaluable advice to the Ministry. I am looking forward to working together to ensure every Ontarian has a place to call home!”

Quick Facts

The government has committed to introducing a new Housing Supply Action Plan each year to help address the housing supply crisis.
In 2022, Ontario saw the second highest number of housing starts since 1988, with just over 96,000 new homes. This is 30 per cent higher than the annual average for the past 20 years.
Ontario also broke ground on nearly 15,000 new purpose-built rentals, a 7.5 per cent increase from 2021 and the highest number on record.

Ontario Announces Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Team Members

Table of Contents

Quotes

Quick Facts

Additional Resources

Related Topics