Stop the boosterism on office-to-residential conversions – it’s not going to work

Matthew Alexandris is a freelance writer based in the Greater Toronto Area.

To address the growing concern of rising vacancy rates in downtown workplaces, many Canadian cities and political leaders are attempting to make use of the unused office space by converting it into residential housing. The idea has become increasingly popular across the political spectrum: Not only would office conversions bring in more revenue, it would also address the country’s housing shortage, killing two birds with one stone.