A reader wrote to tell me I took an irresponsible leap in blindly blaming developers. Open your eyes, he said. Well, journalists don’t like to be called out.
But maybe the reader has a point. So, I took a walk along Eglinton to see how local developments were doing.
Starting at Glenholme and heading west towards Dufferin, I passed what should be a wall of towers beside Maria Shchuka Library—stretching nearly to St. Thomas Aquinas church. Instead, there’s just a white municipal sign with blue letters in front of aging fourplexes.
The site where the Tim Hortons sits is still untouched. It’s slated to become a 41-storey condo tower, replacing the current low-income residential buildings. But nothing’s started.
Looping around the eerily empty LRT station and back to Northcliffe and Vaughan, I passed what used to be a giant billboard promising a luxury tower. That sign’s now shrunk to a small poster inside the window of a shuttered corner store.
There’s no question the area needs growth.
Most of the buildings are tired low rises. We need revitalization. But it’s not happening. Not condos. Not rentals. Not even the city’s plan for mid-rises along Eglinton. And we’re not talking a recent stall. One property, taking up the southwest corner of Northcliffe and Eglinton, has been vacant for the entire decade I’ve lived here.
My walk wasn’t encouraging. But is it fair to pin it all on developers?
Let’s be fair: zoning, permit and financing can take over two years—even after approval is granted. On top of that, the shortage of skilled trade workers (who needs immigrants, right?) and sky-high construction costs make building harder than ever. It’s no wonder many developments live more vividly on paper than in reality.
Still, developers and big landowners aren’t blameless. Sorry, dear reader. Sitting on land while it appreciates in value is a business strategy, not a hiccup. But there’s another major player in the housing game: Financial landlords.
These guys are taking over the rental market. They swoop in, buy properties in bulk, crank rents to the legal max, and watch the cash roll in. Their structure makes it easy to act fast, scale big, and profit more. Compared to these rent predators, developers almost look like public servants—at least they try to build something, as my good reader reminded me.
Meanwhile, what everyday Torontonians actually need—affordable, accessible, real housing—isn’t being built. All I had to do was walk through my neighbourhood to see that.
And I’m not the only one who sees it. Even the new prime minister said it’s time for the government to get back into the business of building homes.
So, when will virtual construction become construction IRL?
Because vacant lots and paper towers won’t solve our housing crisis.
