Why do families making six figures have a hard time affording homes in Toronto?
That, fundamentally, is the question posed by a pair of articles in the Toronto Star last week (buttressed by data from the Toronto Region Board of Trade). Some will find the very question insulting — who cares about people making $100,000 when there are people living in poverty?
The answer to the latter question, and the reason we should take the former question seriously, is that while our fates are all linked, not everyone’s problems are a mystery. The poor can’t afford housing even in lower-cost markets, because they don’t have enough money. There are a bunch of reasons for that, but the solution is as clear as the problem: give the people who need it more money or build them affordable housing.
