[Hali87]

What I'm most interested in is the possibility of allowing housing to remain affordable without necessarily having to be "designated" affordable housing. As mentioned, housing that is officially deemed affordable seems to be, and actual public housing certainly is, targeted at specific demographic/income groups, meaning that it is not necessarily available to those who make just over $x/year.

I guess tax reform would be one big game-changer, since presumably the relatively high property tax rates in the urban centre drive up housing prices, both for homeowners and indirectly for renters.

I also wonder if a mechanism could be put in place that would prevent existing buildings from increasing in value simply by virtue of having new buildings built nearby. Does the municipality have the authority to put such measures in place? Does the province? What would be the major downsides of such a system?