New Provincial measures aimed at accelerating home construction

May 15, 2025 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

New legislation will be introduced in the Ontario Legislature to speed up home construction across the Province, the government announced Monday.

On May 12 in Vaughan, the Province announced new measures to “help speed up the construction of new homes and infrastructure.”

The Province stated that these measures were developed in consultation with municipalities, changes include a simplified system for development charges (fees paid to municipalities by developers to ensure infrastructure keeps pace with growth) and realizing transit-oriented communities, as well as financial boosts to programs like the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Fund.

Once passed, the Province says the legislation will: “spur new construction by simplifying and standardizing development charges based on measures that were developed in consultation with municipalities, including measures that some municipalities have already implemented. Ontario will work with municipalities to continue simplifying, streamlining, and reducing costly local development fees that can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost of new homes.”

It will also: “Remove barriers for Canadian manufacturers who want to introduce innovative materials, systems and building designs that could reduce construction costs and expedite projects; streamline and improve planning and delivery for transit-oriented communities, creating more jobs and housing options near transit; reduce costs and speed up project approvals with consistent building construction standards across Ontario municipalities; significantly speed up getting shovels in the ground to build major transit projects by extending measures in the Building Transit Faster Act, 2020 to all provincial transit projects; [and] simplify, streamline and bring consistency to development applications, land use planning approvals, and contents of municipal official plans.”

“These changes would make it easier and faster to build residential, commercial and industrial buildings within and across Ontario’s municipalities,” said the Province in Monday’s announcement. “Ontario’s road building standards can differ across the Province’s 444 municipalities, causing unnecessary cost and delays. The Province will consult with municipalities and stakeholders by fall 2025 on framework legislation for greater harmonization and clarified governance of municipal standards, which will lead to cost savings through more efficient design and technical review, greater construction efficiencies, and streamlined procurement processes.”

Area municipal leaders were largely supportive of the measures.

“I applaud Premier Ford, Minister Flack, and the Government of Ontario for taking bold and creative action to address the housing crisis,” said Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca. “The status quo simply isn’t working, and families across Ontario — including mine — deserve to see real change. I want my kids to have the opportunity to own a home in the city where they grew up. In Vaughan, we’re doing our part by reducing development charges by 50 per cent and using every tool available to get more homes built, faster. I welcome the province’s leadership in cutting red tape, standardizing approvals, and building a more efficient, affordable future for all Ontarians.”

Added Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish: “I’m grateful for the province’s leadership in introducing these much-needed measures to address the housing crisis. Municipalities cannot tackle this challenge alone — we need support like this to cut red tape, streamline approvals, and create the conditions for faster, more affordable housing development. Mississauga’s Housing Task Force has demonstrated that bold reforms and innovative policies can drive real progress, and these provincial measures will encourage cities across Ontario to accelerate their own housing initiatives. This kind of collaboration across all levels of government is critical to meeting the urgent housing needs of our residents and building a more sustainable future for residents all over Ontario.”