Housing advocates, a local residents’ group and a refugee support organization are calling on the City of Toronto to help convert 10 vacant upscale homes in a small north Toronto neighbourhood into temporary housing for low-income and refugee families. However, the proposal faces uncertainty, with no response so far from the property owner or firm commitments from city hall.
The plan is being championed by commercial real estate developer and housing advocate David Walsh, the FCJ Refugee Centre, and Geoff Kettel of the Leaside Residents Association. Together, they are urging city council to encourage the owner of the homes on Glazebrook Avenue to allow the properties to be used as transitional housing while redevelopment plans remain stalled.
“These homes are a perfect opportunity,” said Tsering Lhamo, co-executive director of the FCJ Refugee Centre, who met with Walsh and Kettel outside the vacant properties earlier this week. “It’s really sad and surprising to see them sitting empty when families desperately need housing.”
The 10 rowhouses, ranging from 2,200 to 3,200 square feet, have been vacant for about a year. They were purchased in 2023 by Gairloch Developments, which intends to demolish them to make way for a 34-storey residential tower. However, the city has denied a demolition permit because the developer has not yet secured a building permit, leaving the project in limbo.
Walsh, a former recipient of the Jane Jacobs Prize for his work on social housing initiatives, formally asked city councillors on Dec. 3 to consider turning the homes into transitional housing operated by social housing agencies. Kettel made a similar appeal to another city committee earlier this year. So far, they say, the efforts have not received a response.
Coun. Rachel Chernos Lin, whose ward includes the properties, described the idea as “interesting” but raised concerns about feasibility. She questioned whether the city has the capacity to broker such arrangements, citing potential liability and the challenges of relocating families once the homes are returned to the developer.
Under the proposed model, the homes would undergo minor repairs and cleanup with city support, then be leased to a social housing agency. The agency would select tenants, manage the properties and collect rent, which would be passed on to the developer.
Walsh argues the plan also makes financial sense for developers. Renting out vacant homes would help owners avoid Toronto’s vacant home tax, which this year stands at three per cent of a property’s assessed value. With comparable homes in the area listed for nearly $4 million, that tax could exceed $100,000 annually per property.
Industry group BILD declined to comment on the proposal, noting that decisions about temporary housing rest with individual developers.
While city staff could not estimate how many homes across Toronto sit vacant as developers await approvals or better market conditions, a 2024 Canadian Home Builders Association study found that developers in Toronto wait an average of 25 months for project approvals — one of the longest timelines in the country.
For Lhamo, that delay represents an opportunity. She said two years is more than enough time to help refugee families transition toward permanent housing. Her organization currently operates three houses where families can stay for six months to a year.
“In a housing crisis, leaving homes empty doesn’t make sense,” Lhamo said. “These spaces could change lives while they’re waiting to be built over.”
