Ontario Construction News staff writer
Legislation that the Ontario government says includes commitments to build more homes faster was passed last week.
The More Homes for Everyone plan outlines actions the province is taking to address Ontario’s housing crisis, including unethical development practices and accelerating development timelines to get more homes built faster. The plan responds to recommendations from the Housing Affordability Task Force and the Ontario-Municipal Housing Summit, as well as input from municipalities and the public. It includes:
- Work with municipalities to identify and enhance measures that will crack down on land speculation and protect home buyers – response to feedback from municipalities regarding projects approved but not built by the developer.
- Double fines and extending building license suspensions to address unethical conduct by developers
Enable Tarion to extend warranties on unfinished items in a new home.
- Extend legislated timelines for decisions while focusing the decision-making process.
- Create a Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator to accelerate planning processes and help municipalities expedite approvals for housing and community infrastructure.
“With the passage of the More Homes for Everyone Act, our government is taking the next step in our long-term plan to deliver on the Housing Affordability Task Force’s report,” said Steve Clark, minister of municipal affairs and housing. “As we continue to collaborate with our municipal and industry partners, our government commits to a housing supply action plan every year over four years to deliver gentle density and multi-generational homes in communities across our province.”
Ontario also increased and expanded the Non-Resident Speculation Tax and established a new regulatory framework under the Community Housing Renewal Strategy.
A Scotiabank housing report found that Ontario is one of the few provinces in Canada below the national average for the supply of homes per capita, with Canada having the lowest amount of housing per capita of any of the G7 countries.
More Homes for Everyone is the result of a three-part consultation with industry, municipalities, and the public.