Social housing providers, like all residential landlords, are required under the Ontario Residential Tenancies Act to keep their portfolio in a state of good repair and fit for habitation. The replacement cost of the existing social housing portfolio in Ontario is estimated to be $40 billion, while the capital repair deficit for the Toronto Community Housing Corporation alone, the largest social housing landlord in the country, is estimated to be $2.6 billion over the next 10 years. The lack of funding and resulting disrepair is harmful to tenants, and it also sets a poor example for private sector landlords.
The national housing strategy should recognize the massive federal investment in this housing and the need for funding to maintain Canada-wide minimum standards of habitability in these homes.