York Region is a great place to work and an even better place to live.

A few years back one of the local TV channels even used the tongue-in-cheek tagline “just above Toronto” in one of its campaigns.

And while it’s a geographic fact that we are slightly to the north of Toronto, it also alluded to the pride we have in our community.

Our region has historically been a community of homeowners. But with rising prices, home ownership is slipping beyond the reach of more and more people across the region – particularly millennials and young families.

And yet these are the very people we need if we are going to keep and attract businesses. It’s their talent that sparks innovation and drives growth.

But if they have nowhere to live, we can’t recruit them.

Researchers such as Richard Florida, have been speaking about the importance of affordable housing to the economy for some time. And as a business owner I’ve seen how a lack of affordable housing opportunities makes it difficult to attract recent grads and other young workers.

This is why Prime Data supports affordable housing initiatives across the region.

So why are we coming out with this position now? It’s not simply because we’re really great people who care (although we are) — affordable housing means better opportunities for businesses to recruit and retain staff.

Region of York itself is aware of the issues surrounding affordable housing and is promoting awareness through it’s Making Rental Happen campaign – highlighting how affordability affects a wide range of residents and businesses.

I was asked to contribute my thoughts as an employer on the situation. You can watch the video below.

So I encourage you to write to your representatives at the municipal, provincial and federal levels and encourage them to prioritize this issue. York Region even has an online pledge to help you commit to #makerentalhappen. 

It makes sense to business and it makes sense to our community to promote opportunities for growth. 

Steve Falk
President
Prime Data