TORONTO — Ontario's housing minister is introducing legislation today intended to speed up the construction of new homes, as he admits the province isn't currently on track to meet its goal of getting 1.5 million homes built over 10 years.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack says Ontario needs to make "immediate changes" to home building rules and his focus is on the next two years in order to spur development.
He is set to introduce a large bill today that would reduce the scope and number of studies municipalities can require for new developments, speed up certain minor variances and standardize and streamline fees developers pay that municipalities use to fund housing-enabling infrastructure such as water and sewer lines.
As well, the bill would standardize construction requirements, provide clarity that municipalities can't create construction standards beyond the building code and would cap the amount of affordable units a municipality can require in certain residential developments.
Flack says the legislation responds to recommendations from municipal leaders and will help both lower housing costs and keep workers on the job in the face of economic uncertainty.
The government also announced today that it will add $400 million to two funds municipalities use to build housing-enabling infrastructure.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2025.
Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
