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Inclusionary Zoning for Affordable Housing

Inclusionary housing programs are municipal programs that rely upon the development regulations and approval process to have private developers provide some portion of the housing within their new market projects as affordable housing. These policies help create healthy, diverse, vibrant mixed-income neighbourhoods.

Inclusionary housing tools have been successful in the United States, creating tens of thousands of affordable housing units in hundreds of big cities and small towns as diverse as Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Burlington, Vermont.

ACTO is working with the Wellesley Institute to press for inclusionary housing to be a part of the Ontario government’s long-term affordable housing strategy. We also supported Bill 58, Planning Amendment Act (Enabling Municipalities to Require Inclusionary Housing), 2010. This private members bill was put forward by the NDP Housing Critic and if it had been successful, would have given municipalities the express authority to implement inclusionary housing programs throughout Ontario.