The federal and Ontario governments’ recent commitment of approximately $41 million toward two Oshawa housing projects is more than a welcome injection of capital into a growing city. According to John Fox, partner in the Commercial Real Estate and Development Group at Robins Appleby and a leader in the firm’s Affordable and Social Housing Group, it’s a demonstration of what actually moves affordable housing from concept to construction, offering a potential blueprint worth studying.
Operated by Durham Region Non‑Profit Housing Corporation (DRNPHC) and developed by The Daniels Corporation, 1707 Ritson Road North will be a 66‑unit development of stacked and back‑to‑back townhouses. The project is receiving more than $7 million in combined funding through the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative and the Canada‑Ontario Community Housing Initiative, in addition to a $27.5 million investment through the federal government’s Affordable Housing Fund. The second project, Conant Place, is a 54‑unit affordable rental building at 1050 Simcoe Street South, also operated by DRNPHC, designed to help address the area’s seniors’ rental housing waitlist.
Scheduled for completion in December 2026, 1707 Ritson Road North is located near essential community and health services, including schools, childcare centres, parks, pharmacies, and major commercial centres. The project uses a turnkey model in which Daniels transferred land to DRNPHC along with a commitment to develop and build the affordable units, which DRNPHC will ultimately own and operate.
“It’s the kind of arrangement that works because each party knows what it needs and wants out of it,” Fox said. “Each party focuses on what it does best: Daniels develops and builds, while the non‑profit arranges financing and ensures a smooth transition to operations. Nonetheless, throughout the process, the parties work together with transparency and mutual respect.”
At a time when governments across Canada are searching for models that can scale, Fox describes the Ritson Road North partnership as refreshingly straightforward—a structure that accelerates delivery by removing overlap and confusion. In his view, it’s a replicable model that could be deployed across Ontario: governments gain durable affordability outcomes, non‑profits expand their long‑term community housing portfolios, and private developers benefit from a predictable, low‑friction pathway to build.
Why expanding the non‑profit sector matters
Canada’s non‑profit housing sector is significantly smaller than those in comparable OECD countries—a group of 38 nations that make up the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development. These member states are mostly high‑income democracies that collaborate on economic policy, social well‑being, and global development, and their advanced economies and rigorous statistical standards make them a reliable benchmark for comparing housing systems, education, health care, labour markets, and other social indicators.
“The Canadian housing system operates with about half the number of social housing units as other OECD countries,” Fox noted. “If we fail to address the housing of lower‑income Canadians, the pressure on the balance of the system either drives rents up or leaves Canadians homeless.”
Beyond the social impact, the economics of the Oshawa model are equally compelling. According to the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis, every dollar invested in below‑market housing generates nearly $3 in public return—from job creation to reduced strain on health and social services. Non‑profits like DRNPHC also bring long‑term stewardship.
As Fox put it, “Non‑profits are the backbone of affordability. They hold units for decades, not just through one market cycle. When they partner with strong developers, you get quality buildings that stay affordable. This alignment of mission and mandate ensures that public investment translates into lasting public value.”
Reducing costs for non‑profits
While this partnership model shows real promise, Fox noted that governments still need to help reduce unnecessary costs that undermine affordability.
“Non‑profits have solid development experience, but they’re not generally builders,” he said. “Purchasing units on a turnkey basis delivers strong outcomes for both the for‑profit and non‑profit partners—and an even better outcome for future residents. Governments can reduce the cost of these transactions by, for example, eliminating the land transfer tax on this type of deal; for non‑profits, those savings translate directly into deeper affordability.”
Meanwhile, achieving a repeatable model requires clear contracts that define each partner’s role, predictable capital that enables non‑profits to plan and mobilize, and streamlined approvals that reward projects meeting affordability and community‑benefit criteria. According to Fox, “If we want more of these deals, we need non‑profits to be in a position to move on them. The demand is there; the development capacity is there. We need capable non‑profits like DRNPHC to be able to take advantage of them.”
The Oshawa funding announcement—together with the creation of Build Canada Homes—suggests governments are increasingly embracing partnership models that work. If the province clears away cost barriers, it could unlock a new wave of affordable housing—delivered faster, stewarded responsibly, and built to last. By prioritizing structural clarity over complex subsidy layering, Ontario could accelerate delivery even further, ensuring projects are built efficiently and maintained for the long term.
To meaningfully shift supply, Fox outlines several levers governments can pull:
- Standardized partnership frameworks that reduce negotiation time.
- Faster municipal approvals for projects meeting affordability thresholds.
- Dedicated capital streams for non‑profit and public‑interest developers.
- Public land contributions that lower project costs and accelerate timelines.
