Very GTHA concentric thinking...
Go to MLS and set the max price to $500K and the filters to single family homes, then scroll across the country looking at "cities" and towns. $500K too rich, try $300K, still too rich......... Still to rich yet, drop it more and include condos and townhomes... Canada has plenty of land. We have cities that actually need people AND have housing AND room to grow AND cheap land. The idea we need to tear up the GTHA because people only want to live here is stupid. Never mind that IF you look at what (little) is being built here none of it is below those prices above... shoebox tiny condo maybe.
The GTHA is also littered with approved buildings lots that for many reasons are not being built. Developers are either hoarding land, playing games, want to wit until they can make even more money... In my area alone, I count a few thousand units not being built.
The Application Information Centre (AIC) provides information on all development applications in Toronto.
www.toronto.ca
Not easy to navigate but see an empty building, lot, type the address in.
BTW, tent cities have almost nothing to do with the above... There are so many reasons it is all out of wack, most of it can be fixed without bulldozing the city.