Ontario Construction News staff writer
Toronto marks progress on Parkdale affordable housing project, set to open next fall with mass timber construction
Toronto says an affordable housing project in the city’s Parkdale neighbourhood is be completed next fall, with prefabricated and mass timber construction speeding up the construction process and improving sustainability.
Mayor Olivia Chow along with Ward 4, Parkdale-High Park coun. Gord Perks at a press conference on October 10 marked the setting up of a construction crane for the development, Toronto’s first affordable housing project delivered through the public developer model.
The model allows Toronto to build affordable rental homes for low- and moderate-income residents on city-owned land.
The development at 11 Brock Ave. will create forty-two rent-geared-to-income and supportive homes for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Tenants will pay no more than 30 per cent of their income, or the shelter allowance of their social assistance, on rent. Tenants will also have access to a range of support services to help improve their housing stability, health and well-being.
Each tenant will have their own private apartment, each with a bathroom and kitchen, plus shared laundry, a communal kitchen and a common programming area. Mayor Chow said the city has partnered with the Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre, which will lease the building and provide housing and support services to tenants.
“This is a first for Toronto, the city’s first-ever affordable housing project built through the public developer model and using mass timber construction,” Mayor Chow said. “That is faster, greener and exceeds our Toronto green standard.”
The city broke ground on the project last December with an initial completion date of early 2026.
The property, previously owned by the province, was acquired by Toronto in 2019 for $3.25 million for supportive and affordable housing. In 2023, the project received more than $21.6 million in funding from the federal government. Toronto will contribute funding and financial incentives including waived fees and property taxes.
Mayor Chow said the city continues to call on Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government for funding for support services at 11 Brock Ave. Funding includes renewing a current annual investment of $48 million for another three years to ensure stability of support services in more than 3,000 existing supportive homes in Toronto.
The city also says it requires provincial investment of another $16 million annually beginning in 2026 for new supportive housing projects expected to complete construction through 2025-2026.