Ford under fire for missing homebuilding targets as affordability worsens
Ontario’s political leaders sparred over the province’s ongoing housing crisis in the first debate of the election campaign, with Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford facing criticism over his failure to deliver on a promise to build 1.5 million homes.
The debate, held in North Bay, was intended to focus on northern Ontario issues but quickly turned into a heated exchange over Ford’s housing record and the affordability crisis.
Opposition leaders Marit Stiles (NDP), Bonnie Crombie (Liberal), and Mike Schreiner (Green) accused Ford of prioritizing developers over residents and failing to deliver on housing targets. Housing starts in Ontario fell 16% in 2024, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) data, leaving the province far behind its target of 125,000 new homes per year.
Stiles pressed Ford on his failure to meet housing commitments.
"Where are the homes that Doug Ford said he was going to build?" she said. "Where are the homes, Doug? Because they're not in our communities. They're not in northern communities. They're not anywhere in Ontario right now. He has not done a dang thing about it. That is the truth."
Despite Ford’s 2022 election pledge, Ontario has missed every interim target toward its 1.5 million-home goal. Government officials have pointed to high interest rates slowing down construction but insist they will still reach the target.
Schreiner accused Ford of designing housing policies to benefit land speculators rather than addressing affordability.
“Most of the government's housing plans have been: how do we unlock profits for wealthy land speculators, instead of how do we unlock affordable homes that people can afford,” he said. “The result of their housing record is we have a whole generation of young people wondering if they'll ever be able to afford a home.”
Ford did not directly address the shortfall in housing starts and instead criticized Crombie’s record as mayor of Mississauga. Crombie dismissed his comments as misleading.
"Premier, you know, you talk a good tale and you sound kind of folksy and charming, but none of what you're saying is actually true," Crombie said. "You told us seven years ago you would end hallway health care. It's gotten twice as bad. You said you'd cut our taxes, but you didn't do that either. You didn't get it done, and you said you'd build 1.5 million homes."
Ford defended his record by citing cuts to red tape and regulatory hurdles and the removal of HST from purpose-built rental housing. But rather than laying out a plan to boost housing construction, he pivoted to attacking US trade policies and tariffs, a frequent talking point on his campaign trail.
His evasive response drew exasperation from Stiles, who interrupted: “Oh my gosh.”
Greenbelt scandal
Ford’s decision to open Ontario’s Greenbelt for development – later reversed after public backlash – was also a flashpoint in the debate. Stiles accused him of misleading voters by promising not to touch protected land, only to approve a deal that would have benefited a handful of developers by $8.3 billion.
"You have shown us who you are," Stiles said. "You say one thing in front of the public, like this, and you go to say another thing behind closed doors."
Ford also faced questions over comments he made at a police gala regarding the death penalty. The Toronto Star reported that he joked about sending home invaders “right to Sparky”, a reference to the electric chair.
His spokesperson later dismissed the remark as a “poor-taste joke”, but Crombie argued it was part of a pattern of Ford saying one thing in private and another in public.
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“He says one thing in one place and then he says something else,” she said. “It speaks to his character. We're never really sure where he stands.”
Opioid crisis
While housing dominated much of the debate, northern Ontario road safety and the opioid crisis were also key topics.
Stiles and Schreiner called for widening Highways 11, 17, and 69 to improve safety, with Stiles vowing to bring winter road maintenance back under provincial control. Crombie proposed increasing municipal funding for road repairs, while Ford pointed to his government’s $600 million investment in highway expansion projects.
The opioid crisis, which killed more than 2,600 Ontarians in 2023, also took centre stage. Ford promoted his plan to replace supervised consumption sites with new addiction recovery hubs, arguing that they would help people “get into detox, get them shelter, and give them an opportunity to find employment.”
Crombie, who has spoken about her personal experience growing up with a father struggling with alcohol addiction, said Ford’s approach fails to address the scale of the crisis. She pledged more funding for shelters and addiction treatment programs.
“This is a provincial issue, it's being downloaded to the municipalities,” she said. “It needs to be coordinated by the province, and there has to be proper funding behind it.”
Stiles committed to boosting mental health funding, including ensuring every school in Ontario has at least one mental health professional.
“The kids are not all right,” she said.
Following the heated exchange, Ford left the debate without taking questions from reporters. His campaign team cited another event on his schedule, but no other engagements were listed on his official itinerary for the day.
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