Ontario’s newest associate housing minister is facing questions about his commitment to building new homes after appearing to promise during the recent election to block a new tower in his riding.
As part of Doug Ford’s cabinet reshuffle last week, Parry Sound—Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith was made Associate Minister of Housing.
His job includes responsibility for modular and attainable homes as Ontario tries to reach its vanishing goal of building 1.5 million new homes by 2031.
During the recent election, however, Smith appeared to oppose the idea riding he represents needs more dense housing options — even while Ontario’s housing starts flounder.
“What would you think if an 11-storey tower was brought in right here in the middle of town?” Smith said in a campaign video he posted to his social media. “Oh, and if you don’t like it, too bad, no appeals accepted. Completely crazy, right?”
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said Smith was “sticking his foot in it” with his comments.
“This doesn’t surprise me, unfortunately. This new associate minister does not have a track record of building the kind of housing that we need to see in this province,” Stiles said.
Smith wasn’t the only Progressive Conservative figure to oppose housing density during the recent election campaign.
Premier Ford also spent one day of the campaign in Oakville, where he accepted an endorsement from the town’s mayor based on his opposition to fourplexes, four-storey buildings and towers.
Endorsing Ford in February, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie’s suggestion of unlimited height by transit stations, fourplexes and four storeys as-of-right would be a “threat” to his town.
He said he wanted Ford to return to the premier’s office because he wouldn’t allow those density increases.
“Premier Ford supports height limits in our mid-town transit station area and the Ford government refused to make four units and four storeys as of right on every street,” he said.
As Global News has previously reported, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing was planning unlimited height by transit and fourplexes before Ford killed the idea.
Stiles claimed the Ford government was fundamentally opposed to building more housing.
“They’re telling you exactly who they are — they don’t intend to build the housing that Ontarians need and they don’t intend to make the change we need,” she said.
“We’re now seven years into this government, three elections where this premier has promised to build the housing that has simply never been delivered. And we’re not going to get it with that associate minister.”
Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner, whose candidate came roughly 2,000 votes behind Smith in Parry Sound—Muskoka, said the new associate minister “doesn’t want to say yes to housing.”
“Let’s be clear, what the people of this province, if we’re going to solve this crisis and build homes that people can afford in the communities they know and love, we need a government that’s going to say yes to housing and unfortunately the Ford government has failed to do that,” he said.
A spokesperson for the premier’s office backed Smith’s position and said it showed he knew the local area well.
“Municipalities know best what works for their communities and as a former mayor of Bracebridge, Min. Smith understands these local needs the best,” they said.
Meanwhile, Ontario recorded another drop in housing starts last month.
February saw a 36-per cent drop in new housing starts in the province compared to 2024, which was also a drop. So far this year, housing starts are down 33 per cent compared to last year.
According to the Ontario government’s own housing tracker, just nine of the province’s biggest 50 municipalities hit their targets for new homes.
Overall, Ontario started just under 73,000 of the 125,000 new homes it aimed to in 2024. That number will increase slightly later in the year when Ontario adds long-term care beds, basements and laneway homes to the statistics.