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In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk sit down with Carolyn Parrish, Mayor of Mississauga, to explore bold policy solutions to Canada’s housing crisis. Mayor Parrish shares how her city is driving development through innovative incentives like deferred development charges, streamlined approvals, and long-term tax reductions for rental apartments. She also addresses strategies for overcoming NIMBYism, encouraging family-sized units, and simplifying zoning to accelerate growth. Packed with practical insights, this conversation highlights how municipalities and developers can collaborate to increase housing supply, improve affordability, and build more sustainable urban communities.

What you will learn:

• How Mississauga implemented a comprehensive development charges (DC) reduction program to stimulate housing construction
• Why reducing approval timelines through a “three strikes and you’re in” policy can significantly impact development feasibility
• The strategy behind reducing property taxes by 35% for rental apartments over 35 years to encourage purpose-built rental construction
• How municipalities can effectively manage NIMBY opposition while pursuing density and growth
• Why focusing on three-bedroom units and minimum square footage requirements creates sustainable community development
• The importance of balancing short-term revenue impacts with long-term community benefits
• How partnering with developers to identify and remove bureaucratic barriers can accelerate housing development
• The critical role of transit-oriented development in creating sustainable urban density
• Why simplifying zoning from 14 categories to just two (large lot and small lot) enables more flexible development options
• How municipalities can maintain essential services while deferring development charges to incentivize construction

Carolyn Parrish is the Mayor of Mississauga, bringing extensive public service experience from her roles as both a municipal councillor and former Member of Parliament under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. With 13 years of experience as a city councillor, she has emerged as a pioneering voice in addressing Canada’s housing crisis through innovative municipal policy reform. In this episode, Mayor Parrish discusses her transformative approach to housing development, including the implementation of development charge deferrals, streamlined approval processes, and strategic incentives for builders. Her administration’s successful initiatives have resulted in processing over 14,000 housing applications, representing a dramatic increase from previous years, and establishing Mississauga as a model for municipal housing policy reform. 

The post Fixing Housing Affordability: Mayor Carolyn Parrish on Mississauga’s Bold Strategy appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.