Ontario proposes to allow cities to expand boundaries faster for housing

Ontario is proposing to allow municipalities to expand their settlement boundaries more quickly and easily in order to open up more land for housing.

Legislation introduced Thursday by Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark would also allow farmers to build three new homes on their land.

Municipalities need to look both inside and outside their urban boundaries for growth, he said.

“We believe, as a government, that all of Ontario is a place to grow, no matter whether you live in the north, you live in eastern Ontario, or southwestern Ontario, or in the Greater Golden Horseshoe,” Clark said.

The bill would also require 29 of the province’s largest municipalities to plan for growth near transit station areas and downtowns.

As well, the legislation aims to increase the supply of building inspectors by redesigning a qualification program and freezing exam fees.

1:50 Ontario housing minister admits parts of 1.5 million homes pledge ‘out of my control’

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said there is more than enough land within existing boundaries to build the homes Ontario needs.

“Make no mistake, these eleventh-hour attacks on land use planning rules are designed to open the floodgates to reckless, expensive sprawl while doing nothing to address the housing crisis,” he said in a statement.

The changes are part of the province’s plan to build 1.5 million homes by 2031.

The province’s recent projections show while there were about 100,000 homes built in 2022, the number of housing starts in the next few years may only reach upwards of 80,000 annually.

“We know that more progress, and more action is required for our housing goals, particularly in the face of economic uncertainty, inflation, and soaring interest rates,” Clark said.

“Our goal remains the one that I’ve committed to last summer to get 1.5 million homes built by 2031.”