Building for the Long Term: Tony Irwin on Rental Housing and Toronto’s Growth

Building for the Long Term: Tony Irwin on Rental Housing and Toronto’s Growth

From Toronto Talks by Toronto Region Board of Trade

January 21, 2026 · 25 min · Season 2 · Episode 1

About this episode

Tony Irwin discusses the importance of rental housing for Toronto's long-term growth and the challenges of rental affordability.

Toronto’s rental housing challenge is far from over. In this episode of Toronto Talks, Giles Gherson speaks with Tony Irwin, President and CEO of the Federation of Rental Housing Providers of Ontario, about why short-term market indicators can be misleading and why rental housing remains critical to Toronto’s long-term growth. Irwin explains why nearly half of the city’s residents rent, how rental affordability affects talent attraction and workforce stability, and why essential workers and f...

People in this episode

Host: Giles Gherson

Guest: Tony Irwin

Topics covered

  • rental housing
  • Toronto growth
  • affordability
  • workforce stability
  • essential workers

Keywords

  • rental housing
  • Toronto
  • affordability
  • workforce
  • essential workers
  • market indicators

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Federation of Rental Housing Providers of Ontario

Places: Toronto, Ontario

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