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Residential construction

Ontario Unveils New Planning Rules to Boost Long-Term Building Boom

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Ontario's housing minister, Paul Calandra, has introduced a new set of planning rules designed to give municipalities more tools and flexibility to address the province's unprecedented growth. The Provincial Planning Statement is intended to provide one consistent set of planning direction across the province, recognizing that municipalities understand local challenges and priorities when it comes to building homes. The move comes as the province's housing tracker shows that Ontario is still far off the home building pace needed to meet the government's pledge of building 1.5 million homes by 2031.

Key Takeaways:

  • The new Provincial Planning Statement aims to provide one consistent set of planning direction across the province, giving municipalities more tools and flexibility to address local challenges and priorities in building homes.
  • The statement recognizes that municipalities understand local challenges and priorities when it comes to building homes, and that they know best where and what types of homes are needed.
  • Ontario has not yet met any of its annual targets toward its goal of 1.5 million homes, although it came very close last year after it started counting long-term care beds.
  • Only 11 out of 50 municipalities assigned annual housing targets have made more than half way to their target, halfway through the year.
  • The updated statement streamlines the existing rules, coming in 100 pages and 30,000 words shorter.
  • Key changes encourage the building of more homes near major transit stations and on underused low-density lands such as shopping malls.
  • The statement guides municipal planners on their community's growth, including what areas will be used for housing, industry, and farming.

Statistics:

  • Ontario is still far off the home building pace needed to meet the Progressive Conservative government's pledge of building 1.5 million homes by 2031.
  • The province has assigned annual housing targets to 50 municipalities and promised extra funding to those who exceed or get close to them.
  • Only 11 of the municipalities have made more than half way to their target, halfway through the year.
  • The new Provincial Planning Statement is 100 pages and 30,000 words shorter than the existing rules.
  • Ontario's housing tracker shows that the province is still far behind in meeting its annual targets.

Sources:

  • The Canadian Press.

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