President’s message
As we near the end of summer, I’m energized by the spirit of collaboration that continues to drive FRPO’s work and our sector forward. With the Ontario election now firmly in our rearview mirror, the PC government has a renewed focus on Ontario’s housing challenges. FRPO continues to work closely with key decision-makers to ensure professional rental housing providers remain central to the solution. FRPO members recently met with Attorney General Doug Downey to discuss ongoing improvements to Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) processes, and to share member input regarding Bill 10, which are important steps toward ensuring a fair, efficient, and balanced system for both providers and residents. In addition, FRPO’s Board had the opportunity to meet with Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack to discuss Bill 17, which aims to accelerate building and streamline approvals across Ontario. These regular meetings reflect our ongoing commitment to building and strengthening relationships with government at every level. As Ontario’s leadership sets to work on delivering much-needed housing, FRPO will continue to be an active, constructive partner, ensuring our members’ perspectives are heard and advocating for policies that are practical, effective, and focused on real solutions. FRPO will continue to encourage all levels of government to prioritize and incentivize the construction of purpose-built rental housing by speeding up approvals, cutting red tape, and reducing government fees and charges to level the playing field. Together, by fostering strong partnerships and amplifying our collective voice, I’m confident we can make real progress, delivering more homes, protecting tenants, and building a thriving, resilient rental housing market for all Ontarians. As always, I want to thank our members for their continued dedication and professionalism. Your willingness to share your stories and insights helps us champion the value and excellence of Ontario’s rental housing sector. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you. Enjoy the rest of your summer! Tony Irwin, President and CEO, FRPO and RHC rentalhousingbusiness.ca | 43
Ontario’s homebuilding rate falls by 25 per cent According to data from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), homebuilding in Ontario has fallen in first half of 2025 compared to prior years. Over the first six months of 2025, Ontario has begun building only 27,368 new homes, which is a 25 per cent drop compared to the same six-month period in 2024 and 35 per cent below the first half of 2023. Ontario had more housing starts in the first half of 2020 (33,588), even though they were taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2022 to 2024, Ontario averaged only 86,650 housing starts each year, which is far less than the 150,000 starts per year required to meet the Ford government’s target 1.5 million new homes by 2031. There are significant variances in homebuilding trends across Ontario’s municipalities. Ottawa recorded 5,150 housing starts in the first half of 2025, which is an 82 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. However, Guelph started only 46 new homes in the first half of the year, which is a 76 per cent drop from the same period in 2024. Toronto recorded only 12,575 housing starts in the first half of this year, which is a 44 per cent decline from the same period in 2024. Given its size, Toronto’s poor performance is especially consequential. Ontario’s rate of building homes is behind other parts of the country. The rest of Canada saw a 17 per cent increase in the first half of 2025. In absolute numbers, 9,003 fewer homes were built in Ontario relative to last year while 12,921 more homes were added in the rest of the country.
Several cities meet provincially designated housing targets The Ontario government has made several announcements of funding for several cities for met or exceeded their provincially designated housing targets through the second round of the Building Faster Fund. Announced in August
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2023, the Building Faster Fund will provide $1.2 billion in new annual funding for three years to municipalities that are on target to meet provincial housing targets by 2031. Municipalities that reach 80 per cent of their annual target each year will become eligible for funding based on their share of the overall goal of 1.5 million homes. Municipalities that exceed their target will receive a bonus on top of their allocation. To follow are some of the announced awards: • August 1: The City of North Bay will receive $400,000 for breaking ground on 398 new homes in 2024, which is 480 per cent of its 2024 housing target. • July 31: The City of Greater Sudbury will receive $1,520,000 for breaking ground on 840 new homes in 2024, which is 265 per cent of its 2024 housing target. • July 30: Sault Ste. Marie will receive $600,000 for breaking ground on 189 new homes in 2024, which is 151 per cent of its 2024 housing target. • July 22: Haldimand County will receive $991,984 for breaking ground on 310 new homes in 2024, which is 89 per cent of its 2024 housing target. • July 10: The City of Kingston will receive $3,200,000 for breaking ground on 966 new homes in 2024, which is 145 per cent of its 2024 housing target. From January to June 2025, Ontario saw 9,125 rental starts, an increase of 26.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2024. After 2023, this is the second-highest level of rental starts on record for this time of the year.
Ontario capping rent increases at 2.1 per cent On June 30, the Ontario government announced it is capping rent increases for 2026 at 2.1 per cent. This cap is based on Ontario’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of inflation calculated by Statistics Canada using data that reflects economic conditions over the past year.
“Our government knows tariffs and economic uncertainty are creating challenges for many people in Ontario, including renters, which is why we are capping rent increases for 2026 at 2.1 per cent,” said Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “This cap is the lowest in four years, which demonstrates our commitment to protecting tenants across our province as we continue searching for ways to keep costs down across the province.”
Toronto to get $80 million from federal government for affordable housing On July 28, the federal government announced it will be committing $81.5 million in low interest loans through CMHC’s Apartment Construction Loan Program (ACLP) to support the development of 159 new affordable rental units in Toronto’s Bedford Park area, located at 3101 Bathurst Street. Dubbed Vivant on Bedford Park, the nine storey mid-rise development will be built by Medallion Corporation and designed by Arcadis, will provide modern, energy efficient homes for individuals and families, and is expected to be completed by the fall of 2027. Housing Minister Gregor Robertson stated the project will boost rental housing supply in Toronto, with 27 per cent of the units geared toward residents below Toronto’s median household income. The project is part of Canada’s National Housing Strategy, which aims to finance hundreds of thousands of new rental units through the ACLP and similar programs.
Past events July 22, 2025 - FRPO Charity Golf Classic Another year, another incredible golf tourney! On July 22, FRPO held our Annual Golf Tournament at Lionhead Golf Club. As usual, the event was sold out, and we raised $100,000 for Interval House. See you next year!
July 29, 2025 - Interval House: New Virtual Counselling Services webinar Interval House, Canada's first shelter for abused women and their children, announced the launch of a new offering: Virtual Counselling Services (VCS). VCS provide counselling to victims of intimate partner abuse from across Ontario virtually. Webinar attendees learned more about the organization and the VCS program, and how they can help spread awareness to those in the communities they manage.
August 21, 2025 - Women in Rental Housing Luncheon This year's Women in Rental Housing Luncheon took place on Thursday, August 21 at the Old Mill in Toronto. This event was sponsored by Wyse Meter Solutions and brought together women in the industry to network, learn, and share their experiences. The topic for the luncheon was “Beyond the Land Acknowledgement, Transforming Tomorrow.” This event featured Cher Obediah as the guest speaker. She is Ojibway and Mohawk, Turtle Clan from Six Nation of the Grand River Territory with roots in Alderville First Nation. She is a multidisciplinary creative as a filmmaker, speaker, author, and artist. Cher is a heart-centred creative empowering others to shine their brightest light. She's a visionary who believes self-knowledge is a catalyst for healing and collective change. With a background in theatre, television, and film she lends her energy to projects that focus on holistic health, Indigenous culture, domestic violence, youth driven initiatives and content that inspires others to recognize their worth. Other speakers included: • Kellie Spearman, JLL Canada • Liza Bauer, Concert Properties • Nicole Alvarez, Minto Properties • Belinda Black, Tricon Residential • Rachel Roenspies, QuadReal
Ontario’s leading advocate for strong and stable rental housing. FRPO is the largest association in Ontario representing those who own, manage, build and finance residential rental properties. For membership inquiries please contact Lynzi Michal, Director, Membership & Marketing Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario 801-67 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario M5E 1J8 416-309-8744 lmichal@frpo.org www.frpo.org
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