Housing is recognized as a basic human right. Where you live has a significant impact on your quality of life—having access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing is a key component of personal and community well-being.
Municipalities have the responsibility to promote and advance housing-related policies and plans, including understanding local housing needs and gaps; and ensuring strategies, plans and by-laws are in place to promote and support the provision of a full range and mix of housing options to meet the varied needs of all residents.
Milton’s growth context
Milton is one of Canada’s fastest growing communities, with a population anticipated to be 400,000 by 2051. This population growth will occur alongside housing growth.
To accommodate the population growth to 2051, the Town recently completed a study to look at residential and non-residential land needs. This study estimates that approximately 88,000 new housing units will be needed; this is about 2,930 per year. Of these 88,000 new housing units, it is anticipated that will be a need for:
- 66 per cent (58,200) low and medium density housing in the urban area.
- 33 per cent (29,400) high density housing in the urban area.
- A small percentage (300) in rural or hamlet areas.
The residential and non-residential land needs study also looked at housing needs by tenure, and estimates that there will be a need for:
- 75 per cent owner-occupied housing; and,
- 25 per cent rental housing.
The Town will need to develop a strategy and implementation tools to ensure that we welcome the right housing, in the right places at the right prices and tenures.
The Housing Continuum
A range of housing options exist depending on a person’s income, living situation, and need for type and tenure of housing. People may move along this continuum at different points in their lives. Ideally, communities have housing options available at all points along the continuum, to meet the range of needs of current and future residents.
Adapted from The Housing Continuum graphic by CMHC.
Defining affordable housing
Ontario defines affordable housing as:
- Owned housing: the least expensive of: housing for which the purchase price results in annual accommodation costs which do not exceed 30 per cent of gross annual household income for low- and moderate-income households; or housing for which the purchase price is at least 10 per cent below the average purchase price of a resale unit in the municipality.
- Rented housing: the least expensive of: a unit for which the rent does not exceed 30 per cent of gross annual household income for low- and moderate-income households; or a unit for which the rent is at or below the average market rent of a unit in the municipality.
We understand that average sale and rental prices for homes in Milton may not meet these definitions of affordability, for all households. The Town is committed to doing work to address this gap – and will do so through its Housing Strategy.
Building Faster Fund & Milton’s Housing Pledge
As the Province works to achieve its goal, to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years, the Town of Milton has pledged to facilitate construction of 21,000 housing units by 2031.
In 2023, Milton exceeded its housing target of 1,540 housing starts by 27 per cent. The 1,952 housing starts in Milton in 2023 included 1,404 housing starts, 356 conversions and 192 long-term care beds.
As a result, the Town received $8.4 million through the Provincial Building Faster Fund, demonstrating Milton’s commitment to its growth strategy and to working in partnership with the development community.
Housing Accelerator Fund
To address the housing shortage, the federal government announced $4 billion in funding available to Canadian municipalities to accelerate and improve the supply of housing.
The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) is an application-based program, administered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). To be eligible, the applicant must:
- Develop an action plan to support growth targets, grow housing supply and speed up housing approvals.
- Commit to a growth target of at least 1.1 per cent in new housing units per year as well as a 10 per cent increase in the rate of average annual growth.
- Complete a Housing Needs Assessment report, in addition to other annual and semi-annual reporting requirements of the HAF program.
In August 2023, Milton applied for HAF funding to support:
- Implementation of the Milton Mobility Hub Strategy
- Additional Residential Unit (ARU) Study
- Residential and Non-Residential Land Needs Study
- Development Services Public Portal
- Delegation of Authority Enhancements
- Official Plan Update
- Transportation Master Plan Update
The Town’s application to HAF was successful, subject to the addition of the following five (5) initiatives:
- Permitting four units as-of-right Town wide.
- Permitting four storeys as-of-right within 800 metres walking distance of Milton Transit lines.
- Designate dedicated staff to implement an affordable housing strategy, which should involve liaising with non-market housing providers and other levels of government, guiding projects through the development and permitting process, and identifying lands for affordable non-market housing.
- Delegate decision-making power for minor re-zonings, as well as approvals for affordable and modular housing, to Town staff.
- Create incentives to encourage the development of purpose-build rentals and non-market housing.
The Town is entitled to receive $22,418,300 in HAF funding, contingent upon completing the initiatives above, submitting a Housing Needs Assessment Report, and achieving the growth target of 4,225 residential units within the HAF timeframe (2023-2026).
Housing Policy Projects
Uptown, the Milton Go Station Mobility Hub
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