Just after Donald Trump took office in the United States, Ontario Premier Doug Ford gave us very short notice that he would be staging an election on February 27th. Despite the considerably negative feedback Doug Ford had been receiving since he first came into office back in 2018, Ford has made history being the first premier in decades to be elected for a third consecutive term. With the frustration expressed by Ontarians through issues like the environment, healthcare, privatization, education, other funding cuts, and housing, it seems the issue that has saved Doug Ford is his commitment to protect Ontario from the impending tariffs to be imposed by US President Donald Trump. CBC points to the new question on the ballot being “Who’s the best person to lead Ontario under the threat of tariffs?” The people have spoken, and clearly they believe the best person is Doug Ford.From a cost-of-living perspective, however, where can we situate Doug Ford’s third win? As many people are aware, housing is a shared responsibility amongst the provincial, municipal, and federal governments. In the provincial debate, Doug Ford stated that “there are more cranes building homes than ever before.” According to Press Progress, however, the number of new homes being built has decreased under Doug Ford’s leadership. The other provincial candidates grilled Ford on his apparent inability to tackle housing on the provincial level. Press Progress explains how housing starts, or the construction of new homes, has decreased. CMHC uses the housing start model to determine how the housing supply increases or decreases in a given area. The chart shows the overall trend of housing starts in the province according to Press Progress.<img class="image_resized image-style-align-right" style="width:50.9%;" src="https://files.rifo.co/CompanySite/170/170_rifonews-0305.png">They also mention how Ford has repeatedly claimed housing was a top priority in several of his campaigns. Specifically, the goal was to remedy housing unaffordability through building 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years. The progress on that goal, however, has yet to materialize.&nbsp;The Globe &amp; Mail points out that housing prices &amp; rent prices are considerably higher than when Doug Ford was first elected in 2018 and that “Ontario is building fewer homes per capita worse than some other provinces, including BC. <img class="image_resized image-style-align-right" style="width:50.34%;" src="https://files.rifo.co/CompanySite/170/170_image.png">As seen in the graph below, published by the Globe &amp; Mail using data provided from the CMHC rental survey, Ontario’s rental prices are not only increasing slightly higher than the Canadian national average but are also far higher than the national average in the first place. The Globe and Mail also states that “since Ford took office in 2018, rents across the province are up about 40%, now averaging $1540 for a one-bedroom unit.” They also say that the province’s average home price has also increased by over 40% over the course of Ford’s time in office.&nbsp;Aside from Doug Ford’s efforts evidently failing, a lot of Ontarians have been concerned about his decision to scrap rent control in units built after November 15, 2018. The Toronto Star specifically states that 6 years after rent controls eased, Toronto rent is up 35%. They also state that about 8% of Toronto’s rental stock is now exempt from rent control. This means that tenants in new units, including all the new units he plans to build in the name of housing affordability, can experience rent increases by whatever their landlord wants. CBC cites a tenant who says that they are at their landlord’s mercy and that they have no guarantee that they will be able to always afford their unit. In an attempt to incentivize building new rentals, the premier seems to have placed Ontario in an endless cycle of housing unaffordability. The Liberals, Greens, and NDP all preferred to target unaffordability by using a far more direct and certain method: expanding rent control for new units.&nbsp;Based on the evidence and data we have before us, it seems Doug Ford’s attempts at remedying housing unaffordability have been less effective than he would have hoped for. With lack of new supply, the future of housing looks like it will favor owners once the tariff threats have passed. This may be a good time to consider getting into the market. The spring and summer may provide great opportunities for those that are ready.

Doug Ford’s 2025 Win: What About His Housing Duties?

Premier Ford’s third term raises big housing questions. Will Ontario see real affordability? Learn what the latest trends mean for homebuyers.

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