Progressive Conservative MPPs on Monday defeated an NDP motion pushing for the creation of a new agency focused on getting more affordable housing built in Ontario.
Meanwhile, New Democrats refused to share cost estimates for their plan prior to a debate on the issue on Monday.
Following a debate in the house that saw the NDP plead for more provincial action to boost housing and the PCs accuse the New Democrats of trying to "bankrupt" the province with their plan, the motion calling for the creation of "Homes Ontario" was shot down in a 60-26 vote.
"An NDP government will absolutely implement this program, but we're giving this government an opportunity to start down the right path to building these deeply affordable homes that we need," NDP Leader Marit Stiles said at a press conference at Queen's Park on Monday morning of her housing plan that includes establishing a new agency called "Homes Ontario."
The agency's role would be to "finance and oversee the construction of affordable and non-market homes," with the party stating in the motion Stiles tabled that the solution to the province's housing crisis "must include public, non-profit and co-op housing options."
The government, the motion said, could "fast track building approvals and provide funding, low-interest loans and public land to spur housing construction in the private, public and non-profit sectors."
The NDP's promise is to build at least 250,000 "affordable homes."
"Our Homes Ontario program is committed to building homes for people who have no home at all, and it's also a program that will provide more affordable housing options to low-income and middle-income people," NDP housing critic Jessica Bell said on Monday morning.
Asked about the cost of the plan, neither Stiles nor Bell provided any numbers.
"We cannot not afford to do this, this situation is a crisis right now, it will only grow and it will only get worse if we don't start to actually address the housing needs of Ontarians, particularly ... affordable housing, which is something that the market alone is just not going to solve," said Stiles, adding that while the party has an estimate, material and labour costs could change over time.
Bell said there is an "initial upfront cost," adding estimates would be provided closer to an election.
"We do want to hear from stakeholders about how many homes are actually needed, because it's really in flux right now," she said.
During and after question period, Housing Minister Paul Calandra slammed the NDP's plan and the party's refusal to share any cost estimates.
"(She) was unable to tell us what it would cost. Our estimates are in excess of $150 billion and the return on that would be very small," Calandra told reporters.
Of the motion, which was debated in the house in the afternoon, the minister said the PCs would "enthusiastically be voting against that."
"We're seeing the very same types of policies being brought on by the federal government and they are not delivering homes," Calandra said. "We need money for infrastructure in the ground, that's the best way that we can unleash thousands, millions of homes being built."
Calandra added that the province is "consistently" providing funding for affordable housing.
The debate over the NDP's motion followed the Ford government's fall economic statement last week, which projected a decrease in new home construction starts for the second year in a row — throwing into question the province's ability to reach the goal set out by the Ford government of getting 1.5 million homes built by 2031.
The document projected 81,300 housing starts this year, down from the government's target of 125,000.
"That target, although certainly with this government's approach it seems out of reach, that remains our target," said Stiles on Monday.
Calandra, meanwhile, insisted "we'll deliver 1.5 million homes."
Mike Moffatt, founding director of the Place Centre at the Smart Prosperity Institute, called the NDP's goal of 250,000 affordable homes "bold."
He said Ontario needs more "affordable and deeply affordable housing" and agreed that it would be helpful for the province to get more involved.
But he said the NDP's plan is lacking in details right now and he'd like to see more information about how it would work.
He added that it would be interesting to see how the NDP's plan would "interact with initiatives from the federal government and the (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation), because if they're not designed to work well together, then you're kind of asking social housing providers and non-profits to go through two sets of bureaucracies."
