New survey showed deep frustration with costs and stalled construction across key GTA markets
Toronto’s latest affordability flashpoint does not come from downtown condo towers, but from a swath of suburban and exurban communities where residents said they are running out of patience with how long and how much it takes to get homes built.
New Ipsos polling for the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) across Vaughan, Mississauga, Brampton, Durham Region and Simcoe County shows overwhelming concern about housing costs and strong support for cutting government-driven charges on new construction.
The online survey of 2,000 Greater Toronto Area and Simcoe residents, conducted from October 17 to 30, 2025, found 88% of Toronto residents are concerned about local housing affordability.
Residents back cost cuts as construction lagged
In Vaughan, 83% of residents supported cutting development charges on new homes after the city reduced those fees by roughly 47% and locked in lower residential rates through 2029.
“These numbers show that Vaughan residents are ready for bold action on housing affordability,” said TRREB president Daniel Steinfeld.
“Cutting the taxes and fees that drive up housing costs is something the public strongly believes will make a real difference in people’s lives, and Mayor Del Duca and Council should be applauded for their efforts on this front.”
Yet housing starts there averaged fewer than 3,000 units a year between 2021 and 2025, with activity declining in recent years and leaving the city “on track for another year of significantly underperforming housing supply,” TRREB said.
Mississauga residents voiced similar alarm: 91% said they are concerned about affordability, and 47% said they are likely to leave the city within five years due to housing costs, echoing GTA‑wide data showing younger residents in particular weighing a move.
“If we can’t give families more options to stay and thrive in Mississauga, we risk losing talent, business investment and the economic prosperity that comes from a strong local housing market,” Steinfeld said.
Frustration mounted in Brampton, Durham and Simcoe
In Brampton, 95% of respondents said they are concerned about local affordability and 7 in 10 believe government taxes on new home purchases are unreasonable.
TRREB chief executive John DiMichele said, “Brampton is home to young families and individuals, diverse generations and new Canadians building their future here. If we can’t retain and support this population, the long-term economic consequences will be severe.”
Across Durham Region, 80% of residents said municipalities are not doing enough to make housing more affordable, while 90% worried the next generation would not be able to buy a home locally and 93% agreed “we need to do everything we can to make housing more affordable.”
DiMichele said the poll “should come as a call to action for local and regional governments who have the power to lower costs for new housing and speed up construction by cutting red tape.”
Simcoe County recorded some of the sharpest dissatisfaction, with 83% of residents saying municipalities are not doing enough, 94% calling on governments to do everything possible to improve affordability and 94% worried the next generation would be priced out.
Pressure mounted on Ontario’s broader housing targets
Ontario’s 1.5‑million‑homes‑by‑2031 goal drifts further out of reach. Provincial forecasts show housing starts running well below the roughly 150,000 units a year needed, with budget documents projecting between 64,300 and 83,700 homes annually through 2028. Recent analysis highlighted that, at current trajectories, Ontario would be only about one‑quarter of the way to its target by the end of 2026, forcing construction to more than double later in the decade.
CMHC and industry data also point to weakening new‑home and condo activity across the GTA, with new‑home sales hitting their lowest level in more than a decade and condo prices in Toronto falling to multi‑year lows, pressures that have already squeezed investor‑driven segments and left builders more cautious about launching projects.
TRREB argued that maintaining or expanding local development‑charge relief, legalizing more missing‑middle forms such as multiplexes and townhomes, and speeding up approvals would be key to turning public frustration into new supply.
“Pairing cost reductions with faster approvals and transit‑oriented growth is exactly the direction municipalities need to move,” DiMichele said.
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