Racism in Toronto Real Estate: Does it Exist?
A new report from the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) has found that systemic racism in Toronto real estate is still a major issue, particularly in the rental market throughout all neighbourhoods.
Based on the OREA report in conjunction with an Ipsos survey, 93 percent of Black realtors and 60 percent of all consumers surveyed believe discrimination exists in the Toronto rental process.
Equally concerning, about 40 percent of Ontario realtors say they’ve seen a rental deal fall through due to racism and discrimination.
For many people of colour, the dream of home ownership presents a lot of challenges. This undermines fair and equitable access to affordable housing for these groups in Toronto.
Racism in Toronto Real Estate: Solutions To Address Racism
To help combat this major issue, a number of recommendations to eliminate racism and inequality in real estate were proposed. They include the following:
(1) A review of the Ontario Residential Tenancies Act (2006), with the goal of improving access to affordable homes for disadvantaged communities
(2) Reducing government-imposed costs on new rental projects
(3) Building 99,000 community housing units over the next decade
(4) Expanding affordable homeownership programs for disadvantaged communities, including rent-to-own programs
Is the government, along with industry and the Ontario Real Estate Association doing enough to address racism in real estate?
