Tony Irwin is the President and CEO of the Federation of Rental-Housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO). This is the second CRE podcast appearance for FRPO but a first for Tony. Since the last FRPO episode there has been a change in provincial government and approach to housing and affordability in Ontario. Tony joins us to discuss the many positive changes for apartment owners and builders under the Ford government.
Tony shares his thoughts on how to fix the housing crisis, recent government legislation, and other smaller issues that contribute to this larger one.
Topics covered include:
- How Tony came to be the CEO of FRPO.
- Bill 108, More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019
- Positive changes that the Ontario PC government has made recently.
- Media portrayal of developers.
- Rent control and its challenges.
- The future continued shortage of apartment units in the Toronto area.
- Determining community development charges.
- More regulations on the horizon.
- Ontario’s change in provincial governments and shifting approach to affordability.
- Enacting a case management system.
- Inclusionary zoning.
- Repurposing old government land by building new housing.
- The desire for true as-of-right zoning.
- Toronto’s aging apartment stock
- How FRPO is raising the bar for landlords.
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More about the guest:
Tony Irwin is President & CEO at the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario. Before joining FRPO, Tony was President & CEO with the Canadian Consumer Finance Association; a national trade association representing businesses that provide a range of financial product to Canadians.
Previously, Tony was Vice President, North American Government Affairs, with Dollar Financial Group, Inc., where he served as Chairman of the Canadian Payday Loan Association and was active with the Community Financial Services Association of America. From March 2009 to July 2012 Tony was Manager of External Affairs & Consumer Relations with Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, where he implemented a national government relations strategy and served as official company spokesperson.
Prior to joining Allstate, Tony served as Executive Director of the Justin Eves Foundation, a non-profit organization granting scholarships and bursaries to learning-disabled and disadvantaged young people to assist them to achieve a post-secondary education. Tony has also held key political roles and was Senior Advisor to an Ontario Premier and Executive Assistant to the Leader of the Official Opposition.
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