Artists vs Affordability: How Toronto Plans to Keep Creatives in the City
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Artists vs Affordability: How Toronto Plans to Keep Creatives in the City
Drawing from her experience dedicating co-op housing units to artists in Don Summerville and Riverdale, coun. Paula Fletcher asked the Toronto Music Advisory Committee to endorse affordable housing for creatives.
Artscape’s residential building on West Queen West was the first legally zoned artist live/work space in Toronto.
: Google Maps Street View.
Sebastian Tansil
Caring mastermind who loves spending quality time with friends and family. Empathetic and precise economist by training. Loves amber yellow as it reminds him of people dearest to him.
Feb. 19, 2025
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We’ve all heard of the struggling artist trope. But how are Torontonian artists truly navigating the city’s cost-of-living crisis?
A Toronto Arts Council report found that creatives are struggling to afford living expenses, especially housing, in our city. What’s more, according to census data, the median personal income for artists in Ontario was $29,600 back in 2021.
Last year, hundreds of artists feared losing their affordable housing units when Artscape, the non-profit operating their buildings, entered receivership. On Feb. 6, the City of Toronto, with funding from the Government of Canada, announced it will preserve affordable housing for 390 tenants across 14 Artscape properties.
Earlier this week, Councillor Paula Fletcher shared a letter with the Toronto Music Advisory Committee highlighting how she was able to add artist-designated affordable co-op housing units in Riverdale and in Don Summerville. Drawing from this experience, she asked the committee to support a motion for the city to provide more affordable housing for workers in the arts, film, television and culture sector.
The Toronto Music Advisory Committee discussed her proposal on Feb. 18.
Heela Omarkhail, a member of the Toronto Music Advisory Committee’s Affordable Housing Task Team, said that the committee is interviewing multiple stakeholders, including Toronto’s Housing Secretariat, to determine the best set of tools to create more affordable housing for artists.
Coun. Paula Fletcher, Toronto-Danforth ward, said that the City Council is looking to build a priority list for affordable housing— with a particular attention to sector-specific housing needs. She acknowledged that artists need housing support. "We want to keep local artists in the city," she added.
What were the results of the discussions?
The Toronto Music Advisory Committee requested to be involved in the development of the Choice Based Housing Access System, which is a new application system being developed for affordable housing in the city.
The committee also recommended that the Housing Secretariat designate art, television, film and culture workers as a priority group within this system.
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