Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Ontario Home Builders Association (OHBA) and OREA support the provincial government’s new transit projects legislation introduced last week.
According to a statement from OHBA, the Building Transit Faster Act “will streamline approvals and cut red tape to help deliver four priority subway projects faster & facilitate new transit oriented communities.
“Building more homes closer to transit is good for the environment and families looking for an affordable place to live.”
Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney says the new legislation would make planning and delivery of transit infrastructure projects quicker and more efficient.
In a statement, OREA congratulated Mulroney, Associate Minister Kinga Surma and the Ford Government on today’s introduction of the Building Transit Faster Act which, if passed, “will help build major transit projects across Ontario better and faster, leading to efficiency and savings.”
“Particularly, Ontario’s REALTORS® are pleased to see this legislation moving forward with a transit-oriented communities development program, which will help lead to the development of thousands of new homes. According to research from OREA in partnership with Ryerson University, over 30 percent of the space surrounding Ontario’s major transit hubs are predominately single-family homes with the capacity for up to 4 million new housing units, which could support the expected population growth of the Province for the next 24 years.
By getting more transit projects built faster, the Building Transit Faster Act will help Ontarians save time and money and improve their quality of life, the statement continued.
“I want to thank Minister Mulroney and Associate Minister Surma for their leadership in bringing this act forward and building the transit communities of the future.”