More than half of GTHA residents not confident they can live comfortably in the region long term: survey  

Sun sets on the Toronto skyline seen from the Gardiner Expressway on Wednesday, July 5, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

More than half of residents of the GTHA say they are not confident they will be able to live a comfortable life in the region in the long term, according to new polling commissioned by the Toronto Region Board of Trade.

The online survey, released Tuesday, was conducted by Ipsos and polled 1,000 GTHA residents between May 9 and May 22.

It found that only about 40 per cent of respondents are optimistic about their ability to live comfortably in the region long term.

Even fewer, 24 per cent, said they felt confident that future generations will be able to afford to live and work in the Toronto region.

“While residents still believe in Toronto’s economic promise, that optimism is fleeting. Half of those surveyed say they’re not confident about the region’s economic outlook over the next year,” the Toronto Region Board of Trade (TRBOT) said in a news release issued Tuesday.

While most respondents rated their current financial status as excellent, good, or fair, about 72 per cent said they are concerned about their finances over the next two years.

The survey found that only 34 per cent of respondents are confident that they will have good employment opportunities to earn more in the long run.

The cost of housing was identified as the biggest barrier to job growth in the region, with 67 per cent of respondents identifying it as an issue, according to the survey. About 57 per cent identified traffic congestion as a barrier, while trade uncertainty and high taxes were each listed by 55 per cent of those surveyed.

“Respondents indicated they are looking to governments at all levels to create the conditions for economic growth through streamlined regulation and permitting, infrastructure investments, tax competitiveness, and workforce development,” TRBOT’s news release continued.

“The Toronto Region Board of Trade is calling on governments and businesses alike to meet this moment with real action through its Stronger Starts Here campaign. The Board’s Business Council of Toronto is engaging leaders across the region through this campaign to identify the most pressing barriers to productivity for businesses and chart a path forward.”

In response to the TRBOT commissioned survey, a spokesperson for Victor Fideli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, told CP24 in part, “As part of our government’s plan to protect Ontario, we are cutting unnecessary red tape, streamlining processes, removing costly interprovincial trade barriers and, accelerating permitting and approval processes to make it easier to get shovels in the ground for critical projects while creating more good-paying jobs.”