Leading up to the 2026 municipal elections on October 26, a new survey from the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) finds that Ontarians want their municipal election candidates to prioritize solving the housing affordability crisis and support policy solutions that addresses the rising cost of living.
Conducted by Abacus Data on behalf of OREA, the From Affordability to Action: Housing and the 2026 Ontario Municipal Elections survey found 71 percent of Ontarians agree that municipal election candidates should make housing affordability a top campaign issue, with half (51 percent) saying that the issue will be the most important consideration in deciding how they vote in the election.
There is still a strong desire for homeownership, with 7 in 10 non-homeowners looking to own someday. However, many non-homeowners question whether it is attainable, with 53 percent pessimistic about being able to buy in their municipality.
More than half of Ontarians (56 percent) say the biggest factor that has made it difficult to afford housing in their community is the lack of affordable housing supply. To address these issues, seven in ten (70 percent) Ontarians surveyed would support allowing more missing middle housing, such as townhomes, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes, to be built in existing neighbourhoods where appropriate.
“For years, Ontario REALTORS® have been championing policy solutions that would help keep the dream of homeownership alive for Ontarians and their families,” said OREA President Kim Fairley. “It’s clear that everyone across the board agrees – we need to lower the cost of housing and speed up the delivery of new housing supply in order to bring affordability closer for more families.”
When it comes to the non-market factors that are impacting affordability in their community, Ontarians would like to see municipal candidates and leaders address government-imposed fees, like municipal development charges (DCs) and property taxes, as nearly two-thirds (65 percent) say that these fees have at least a moderate impact on their ability to afford housing.
In this municipal election campaign, OREA is championing eight policy recommendations, including:
- Increasing housing options and ending exclusionary zoning
- Streamlining development approvals
- Supporting growth through community and infrastructure planning
“During today’s economic uncertainties, we need our leaders from all levels of government to row in the same direction if we want to solve the housing affordability crisis and help create the next generation of homeowners in Ontario,” said Fairley. “The provincial and federal governments have done their part recently – now we need our elected municipal leaders to pull their weight in advocating for pro-housing, pro-growth policies.”
To read the full survey report, please click here.
Delicano,JA, OREA (2026,Sept.1) Housing affordability will be a key municipal election issue [media release]
Image at top: extract from survey cover