The Missing Middle with Mike Moffatt and Sabrina Maddeaux
How Community Consultation is Ruining Democracy
Apr 9, 2025
Housing advocate Eric Lombardi, founder of More Neighbors Toronto, shares his insights on the flawed community consultation processes in Toronto. He argues that these practices often exclude diverse voices, favoring affluent homeowners. Lombardi highlights the need for more proactive engagement and calls for reforms to streamline consultations to empower all citizens. Topics include the implications of property rights, bureaucratic obstacles in housing development, and the role of provincial and federal governments in addressing the housing crisis.
37:00
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Quick takeaways
- Current community consultation processes in Toronto are critiqued for excluding diverse voices, resulting in anti-democratic outcomes driven by a vocal minority.
- A shift towards proactive community engagement is essential for addressing housing needs, allowing broader input that reflects the long-term aspirations of the entire community.
Deep dives
Critique of Community Consultations
Current community consultation processes are critiqued for undermining true democratic representation. Many consultations, especially in Toronto, are held at inconvenient times that exclude those who are busy with work or family commitments, resulting in unrepresentative feedback from a limited demographic. Councillors often use these consultations as a façade of democracy, while the actual voices heard typically belong to a narrow group of older homeowners resistant to change. This method fails to address wider community interests and the voices of those impacted by housing crises, such as renters and young professionals.
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