PETITION to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:
WHEREAS over 700,000 Ontario households are in core housing need, and many households are waiting over 10 years for a placement in rent-geared-to-income social housing;
AND WHEREAS the average house price in Ontario is over $800,000 and the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment was $14,800 per year in 2020;
AND WHEREAS most provincial social housing was built before the mid-1990s and the private sector has proven unable to provide sufficient affordable housing;
AND WHEREAS the right to adequate housing and shelter is recognized by the United Nations, and the Government of Ontario is responsible for providing sufficient and well maintained social housing across the province;
We the undersigned petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:
– Introduce a comprehensive provincial social housing program that treats housing as a public utility and delivers it according to need;
– Develop and implement an emergency plan to build 200,000 new, publicly owned, social housing units and upgrade/retrofit existing units, to address the massive core housing need in all areas of Ontario;
– Legislate rent roll-backs and controls for all renters in Ontario so that no one has to pay more than 20% of income on housing.
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