Newly Enacted Provincial Regulations Will Help Get More Affordable Homes to Market, Faster

Ontario’s REALTORS^® have continued to call for more action to increase housing supply across the province, and we are pleased to see the Ford Government further reducing red tape around development, construction, and site planning, allowing more homes to market, faster.

As of July 1, several new pro-home ownership regulations and red-tape reduction measures took effect across Ontario, including amendments to Ontario’s Building Code that will allow for mass timber construction up to 12 storeys. This change will bring Ontario in alignment with other provinces, such as B.C. and Quebec, and lead to more affordable units while creating jobs and supporting Ontario’s forestry sector. Additionally, new changes to the Planning Act will allow city staff to take control of site planning decisions. This move will help expedite development approvals and get more homes on the market faster to address the housing supply crisis by depoliticizing the municipal planning and approvals process.

These changes – adopted from the Housing Affordability Task Force report – are a step in the right direction, but more can still be done to address the existing housing affordability crisis for Ontario’s families. This includes ending exclusionary zoning in Ontario’s highest-demand urban neighborhoods, to allow for the building of duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes on lots traditionally zoned for single-family housing.

Further red tape reduction measures, including the eight recommendations recently brought forward by OREA, will ensure that Ontario’s housing affordability crisis is addressed through well-researched and proven innovative solutions.”

- Tim Hudak, CEO of the Ontario Real Estate Association