affordable housing | David McKie

High rises in St. James Town in the Toronto Centre riding. Image source: Wellesley Institute

An interactive map of the Greater Toronto Area showcasing the median household income of each federal electoral district. Made with ArcGIS by Ben Barak.

Toronto Centre has the lowest median household income of any riding in the Greater Toronto Area, according to an analysis of Statistics Canada’s 2016 census data, and some of the riding’s former candidates are citing affordable housing as a prime concern.

As election results rolled in on Oct. 21, Liberal MP Bill Morneau reclaimed his seat as the riding’s representative, pocketing over half the votes.

“Together, we will continue to take real action on climate change, give more money to people who need it most, and build a safer #TorCen,” Morneau said in a tweet following his win. The MP is also Canada’s finance minister.

It’s not difficult to find those who “need (the money) most” in Morneau’s riding. The City of Toronto’s ward profile for Toronto Centre cites that almost a quarter of the riding’s households make under $20,000 and half make under $50,000.

According to Statistics Canada’s census data, at $50,462, Toronto Centre’s median household income before tax is the second lowest in Ontario, after Hamilton Centre, in addition to being the lowest in the GTA.

A chart displaying the top ten lowest median household income ridings in the Greater Toronto Area. Made with Infogram by Ben Barak.

With the need for affordable housing a top-of-mind issue this past election, some of the riding’s former candidates say the low median household income only stresses the issue further.

“There is really no part of the riding that you go to where there isn’t clear evidence that we’re in the middle of a homelessness crisis, and that people are just not being able to secure housing and be able to stay in those areas and find good working jobs,” said Toronto Centre’s NDP representative, Brian Chang, who finished second in the riding with 22 per cent of the vote, compared to Morneau’s 57 per cent.

According to a spokesperson for ACORN Canada, a national advocacy group for low and moderate income families, Toronto Centre’s large proportion of lower income neighbourhoods contributes to the riding’s median household income: St. James Town—a densely populated neighbourhood with 19 residential buildings, both privately owned and social housing—Regent Park and Moss Park.

All three are densely located in what is also the smallest riding in Canada—not even six square kilometres in area, according to census data.

A May 2019 study by Toronto public policy think tank the Wellesley Institute surveying the stress levels of Toronto neighbourhoods based on factors like socioeconomic status and housing quality, named Regent Park in the top three lowest income neighbourhoods in the city, with over a third of the neighbourhood’s residents living below the low-income cut off.

Still, Brian Chang said that the problem in the riding lies in the disparity between the lower median household income, and what’s actually being built in the area—condos, instead of rental apartments.

That’s especially true when almost three-quarters of the riding’s residents are renters. And when those renters are paying a median monthly rent of almost $1,200, it’s unsurprising that almost half of tenants in Toronto Centre (46.7%) spend over a third of their income on shelter costs, according to census data.

This infographic displays data about the median household income in Toronto Centre in comparison to the rest of the City of Toronto, and data about Toronto Centre’s rental housing. Made with Infogram by Ben Barak.

“We have to think about what we are building, who are we building for, and how do we leverage out the demand for more developing housing in the downtown core,” Chang said.

The Liberals have pledged to invest nearly $20 billion over a decade in social infrastructure like affordable housing. They also plan to eliminate GST on new capital investments in affordable rental housing as a tax incentive to increase its supply.

Liberal MP Bill Morneau did not respond to a request for an interview.

Annamie Paul, the Green Party representative for Toronto Centre also stressed needed affordable housing, but added another element to the solution.

“Another part of it is ensuring that the transition to work and to high paying stable work is facilitated for new Canadians, people who arrive here as professionals,” she said.

Immigrants comprise nearly 40% of Toronto Centre’s population, according to census data, and Paul said that many of them come to Canada with qualifications that need updating before they can work in their field.

Carlington’s public housing complex is a place where people land if they need to get back on their feet. The problem is getting out of the highly concentrated social housing complex built in the 80s. You have two options: one you either manage to improve your socioeconomic status and move out of the area or you apply to transfer to another subsidized housing unit.

The wait times for social housing in Ottawa can be up to five years, and according to Ray Sullivan, executive director for Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation – a community-based non-profit housing corporation for low and moderate income people – 20 per cent of those requests are from people seeking transfers to other types of social housing.

Joanne*, 60, lived in one of the high-rise apartment buildings on Caldwell Avenue for 18 years with her daughter Sarah. She recently received a transfer to move to another subsidized housing unit after a domestic incident. Domestic violence and overcrowding are two circumstances that are given priority if you are on a waiting list.

“The reason why it’s hard is because once you’re in a community like this – low income – to put your name on a transfer list, it’s very hard to get out of here unless you have a valid reason. You can’t just up and go because you don’t like the area.”

Joanne says when they first moved to Caldwell it was fine until the social problems and issues with the living conditions began to emerge.

“Everything was okay until the alarms would start, but there was a drug-house right across from us, other problems in the building like drug dealers and prostitutes.”

“The fire alarms would go off any old time, sometimes that would be if it was for a fire, but very rarely, more because people were just pulling the alarms. As a lot of us knew sometimes it was being pulled by some drug person who was wanting to get in (the building).”

Carlington Story
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According to the Ottawa Neighbourhood Survey, the Carlington neighbourhood has five times more social and affordable housing units in the City of Ottawa at 1,200, compared to the average and is one of the least socio-economically advantaged neighbourhoods in the city.

Another long-term resident Andrea Terry is the first to admit the public housing complex has issues, but she wants people to see how vibrant the tight-knit community is.

“The biggest problem with areas like this is people just assume, they don’t know people’s situation. For the longest time I couldn’t tell you where I lived because of the stereotyping and because of the bad reputation this area has,” Terry said.

“Now I come out and say ‘yes I do live on Caldwell’, ‘yes I live on ODSP’…I am not embarrassed by any means, because you know what home is where the heart is.”

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Map data sourced from 2011 National Household Survey

The crime and social ills are only one aspect of the neighbourhood which has a strong community presence united by a desire to support each other. Resources like the chaplaincy, foodbank, clothing depot, community centre and family centre are located inside the community. In the middle of the day residents descend on the family centre for a free big breakfast or take part in the language lessons that are offered next door.

Cst. Kevin Williams with the Ottawa Police Service is a community police officer who offers support to the Carlington community and occasionally helps out at the foodbank.

“I’ve sat on committees with Andrea and it’s awesome the dedication that they have and it’s great. It just makes you want to be involved and be a part of this. It’s refreshing to see that,” Williams said.

“It’s too bad because Carlington is a great place and sure there might be one or two incidents that might happen and it doesn’t reflect what this community is, it’s a great community.”

*Joanne declined to use her last name out of privacy.