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PAL Toronto provides affordable housing and a sense of community for professional performing artists and those in affiliated industries.

These are exciting times  for PAL Toronto! Our Executive Director, David Plant, is actively forming partnerships with the City of Toronto's housing providers, and corporate developers, to create more affordable housing for professional performing artists.

The current wait time for a bachelor, one bedroom or two bedroom unit, is between 5 to 7 years, but we are hopeful that these wait times become shorter in the future.

The goal is to expand the number of PAL Toronto units, within the City of Toronto, to be available within a more reasonable waiting period.

Eligibility Criteria

PAL Toronto will approve occupancy to applicant households where at least one member is working or has worked, as a professional performing artist, or in an associated occupation in Canada.

A performing artist is an individual who has become established as a performing artist, or in an associated occupation, as evidenced by the following:

  • Has devoted a substantial portion of their working life to the professional performing arts.

  • Has received income for their work in the professional performing arts, appropriate to the span of their career.

  • May have membership in a professional association appropriate to their activity in the performing arts, whose membership or categories of membership are limited under standards established by the association, or is a trade union, or is its equivalent appropriate to their artistic abilities or technical skills.

An associated occupation is an occupation within a corporation, association, guild, or union associated with the professional performing arts communities. 

PAL Toronto is designated as an independent living building. All residents are required to take care of themsleves or arrange for their own care, without undue disruption for the building, other residents, or building staff.  

Smiling elderly man with glasses wearing a colorful floral shirt indoors, with red sofas in the background.
Two women, both with short hair and red glasses, stand near a microphone. One is holding papers and wearing a green jacket, while the other wears a black dress and speaks into the mic. The setting is indoors with curtains in the background.
Elderly woman singing into a microphone on stage with a black curtain backdrop, wearing a sheer black and blue lace dress.
Two people are joyfully dancing on a dimly lit stage with a microphone in the background. One is wearing a red shirt, and the other is wearing a blue shirt.

Application Process

You may be interested in:

(1) AFFORDABLE HOUSING – an affordable percentage (80% or less) of the Average Market Rent as determined by the City of Toronto. The percentage varies with the location of the unit and the qualifications of the applicant, including specific income parameters in some cases. 1/3 of the units at PAL Place and ALL units in the Distillery District are Affordable Housing (previously referred to as “Market Value”).

(2) RENT-GEARED-TO-INCOME (RGI) – subsidized rent determined by the City’s analysis of the occupant’s annual income. 2/3 of the units at PAL Place and ALL units in Don Summerville are RGI. Applying for RGI requires a double application – one to PAL and one to City of Toronto Access to Housing.

The PAL Toronto Application Package is for BOTH Affordable Housing and Rent Geared to Income (RGI) applications. Note that you can apply to either or both. Please click button below:

Application Package 2026

To Apply for Affordable Housing:

Please proceed using the Application Package above; see below for submission details.

To Apply for Rent Geared to Income:

In addition to completing the above Application Package, please go to MyAccesstoHousingTO.ca for details on creating an account.

Please Note: As PAL Toronto’s RGI waitlist is mandated, you cannot be placed on it without an account with Access to Housing TO. As this could take several months, please apply immediately for an RGI Account.

This site is for all the City’s RGI housing providers, and you can mark off the housing locations you feel are appropriate – e.g. PAL Place, Don Summerville.

RGI applicants will also need the Housing Booklet. Please click button below:

Aerial view of a city skyline with a prominent tower, waterfront, and buildings during sunset.

Submission Details for ALL Applicants:

Please save the Application Package to your computer. Complete the application Parts 1-5 and the Previous Landlord Information. (Be sure to include your City #p account number if applying for RGI.)

Download all other required documentation and email it to:

Email: applications@paltoronto.org

You can also submit your application package via Regular Mail:

PAL Toronto 110 The Esplanade Unit 328 Toronto, ON M5E 1X9

ATTN: RAC Committee

The Residential Accommodation Committee (RAC) meets monthly, except in August or December, to review all applications for residency. You will be notified of the Committee’s decision either:

1. Approved

2. Declined

3. The Committee may require more information.

Housing Booklet

Waitlists

Waitlist Information:

  • The current wait time for a bachelor, or one-bedroom unit, is between 5 to 7 years.

  • PAL Toronto is seeking viable options to create a shorter time between your application's acceptance and a vacancy.

  • The goal is to expand the number of PAL Toronto units, within the City of Toronto’s core, to be available within a more reasonable span of a 2 to 5 year waiting period.

  • Executive Director, David Plant, is actively engaged in forming a partnership with the City of Toronto's housing providers and establishing affiliations with corporate developers.

    Supporting affordable housing for arts and culture workers

  • It is an unfortunate reality that availability of affordable housing is at crisis levels. If you need housing, please email: admin@paltoronto.org Subject: Housing needs - urgent!

    We will provide options to, hopefully, alleviate the pressure.

  • Once on the waitlist, it is your responsibility to keep your file current and active.

  • In the event your information is not up to date, and we're unable to get in touch with you, we will move on to the next person on the waitlist.

Rent Geared to Income (RGI) Waitlist:

  • PAL Toronto’s RGI waitlist is managed by the City of Toronto’s Housing Division.

  • Applicants are listed in order of the date the application is received and approved by the City of Toronto. Please go to MyAccesstoHousingTO.ca for more info.

  • For RGI applicants, the City's Single Offer Rule applies, allowing one offer of a suitable unit. Refusing the offer results in removal from the waitlist. Re-application is possible with a new application date, starting at the bottom of the list.

Affordable Housing Waitlist:

  • PAL Toronto manages the Affordable Housing waitlist.

  • Approved applicants are listed in order of the date their applications were received.

  • Affordable Market applicants are eligible for two offers of a suitable unit. Refusing both offers results in removal from the waitlist. Re-application is possible with a new application date, starting at the bottom of the list.

  • For Market applicants listed for a bachelor, one-bedroom or two-bedroom unit, the two-offer rule applies to both preferences. That is, two offers only, whether the offer is for a bachelor, a one-bedroom or two-bedroom unit.

Collage of performers on stage, including a woman singing, a man speaking into a microphone, four women interacting in chairs, and a man playing saxophone next to a guitarist.