Toronto ACORN’s Wins at the City of Toronto 2025 Budget
Posted March 24, 2025
Toronto ACORN has been fighting for affordable housing, affordable internet, extreme heat protections, and more! Look below what we advocated for and won in the city of Toronto’s 2025 Budget.
Want to get involved with Toronto ACORN? Email fieldto1@acorncanada.org or tocanvassdir@acorncanada.org to get involved!
RentSafeTO:
ACORN’S DEMAND:
Increase RentSafeTO registration fees, at $25/unit/year – on par with the multi-tenant (rooming) house registration fees. Hire additional RentSafeTO inspectors using additional registration fee revenue.
ACORN’S WIN:
Increase of $6.25 for the $26.75 per residential unit fee to fund 10 more RentSafeTO bylaw enforcement officers and supervisors.
Extreme Heat:
ACORN’S DEMAND:
Earmark $100,000 to provide a $350 subsidy to low-income households towards the purchase of an energy-efficient air conditioning unit, expanding eligibility for the existing Ontario Works air conditioner subsidy.
ACORN’S WIN:
$200,000 for a brand new pilot for low income and vulnerable residents to have improved comfort to extreme heat with an estimated $350/AC for 425 units.
Internet for All:
ACORN’S DEMAND:
Budget $17 million to upgrade Wi-Fi infrastructure in the TTC subway system and provide free Wi-Fi throughout the transit network. Fund, launch, and maintain a publicly-owned broadband network. Fund the installation of publicly-owned broadband fibre connections in City’s 65,000 housing units created under the HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan.
ACORN’S WIN:
$1.644 million for the ConnectTO Program Development and Continuation.
Affordable Housing Covenants:
ACORN’S DEMAND:
Mandate that any rental housing developments funded by the City of Toronto include affordability covenants. These covenants should cap year-over-year rent increases at 1% for 5 years before transitioning to annual provincial rent increase guidelines in perpetuity. They should also mandate vacancy control, and mandate at least 30% of the rental units in the development be deeply affordable.
ACORN’S WIN:
800 rent geared to income units to be completed in 2025, 680 rent geared to income units will to be approved in 2025, and 1800 rent controlled homes will be to be approved in 2025.
Protect Affordable Housing:
ACORN’S DEMAND:
Increase the Vacant Home Tax to 5%, and tax all vacant units in multi-residential buildings. Use this additional revenue from the Vacant Home Tax to increase funding to the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition program. Earmark funding to purchase the rental property at 500 Dawes Road and create a community land trust to oversee the building.
ACORN’S WIN:
$0.3 million for three new positions to support the expansion of MURA and other tasks related to the HousingTO strategy.
No Tenant Displacement
ACORN’S DEMAND:
Double funding for the Toronto Rent Bank to provide financial assistance to up to 5,500 people per year. Expand eligibility for the Toronto Rent Bank to Ontario Works & Ontario Disability Support Program recipients. Budget $2,500,000 to administer the anti-renoviction bylaw (with 10% cost recovery).
ACORN’S WIN:
Increase in $1 million to support 300 more renters for a total goal of 2700 renters accessing the RentBank in 2025. $1.438 million for 14 positions to administrate the new rental renovation license program bylaw and public education strategy. This will be funded by $700 renovation license fees and other funds and revenue from Toronto Building.
Fund Social Housing
ACORN’S DEMAND:
Provide a one-time increase in capital funding of $50,000,000 for the Toronto Community Housing Corporation to undertake tenant-facing repairs and reduce their $2.2 billion capital budget deficit.
ACORN’S WIN:
An additional $1.172 million to support the operations of TCHC and TSCH.
