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<\/a>Photo:\u00a0bakerjarvis<\/a> \/ Adobe Stock<\/em><\/p>\nA new bill has been introduced to aid the creation and development of housing in Ontario.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, March 30th, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark, tabled the More Homes for Everyone Act<\/a> at Queen\u2019s Park. The bill, if approved, would speed up development timelines while cracking down on housing speculation and unethical development practices.<\/p>\n \u201cMore Homes for Everyone proposes smart, targeted policies for the immediate term that will make housing fair for hard-working Ontarians and get all types of housing built faster for those who need it and who want it,\u201d said Minister Clark in a press conference after tabling the bill.<\/p>\n Minister Clark stated that the Housing Affordability Task Force report<\/a>, which was published back in February with 55 recommendations on improving housing affordability in Ontario, will be the \u201cgovernment\u2019s housing roadmap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n A housing supply action plan would be proposed every year over four years, starting in 2022-2023, that supports the recommendations outlined in the Task Force\u2019s report. The first step would be a consultation on multi-generational communities to deliver more gentle density.<\/p>\n Minister Clark stressed during the press conference that municipalities are needed at the table, citing that some have told the provincial government that they are not ready to implement the \u201cambitious,\u201d policies from the Task Force right away. To ensure that municipalities \u201cactively support and are willing to implement these policies,\u201d a housing supply working group will be established this summer.<\/p>\n Effective January 1st, 2023, Minster Clark said that the government is committing to providing comments within 45 days to any applications for housing developments across all ministries.<\/p>\n Starting on the same day, applicants who do not receive approval of their site plan application within specific time frames would have their application fees refunded through a phased system, receiving a 50 per cent refund within 60 days up to a total refund by 120 days. Changes to the Building Code would also allow 12-storey mass timber buildings and facilitate more infill and low-rise multi-unit housing, among other amendments.<\/p>\n The More Homes for Everyone Act would include a new tool \u201cspecifically designed to accelerate planning processes for municipalities,\u201d called the The Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator according to a press release<\/a>. Over $19 million over three years would be given to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) and the Landlord and Tenant Board to reduce their backlogs by appointing new adjudicators and handling disputes more quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cOntario is the best place to live, start a business and raise a family, but we can only build on our success if all hardworking Ontarians and their families are able to find the home they need and want,\u201d said Premier Doug Ford in the release. \u201cAs Ontario\u2019s population and our economy continue to grow, building more homes is another way that we\u2019re keeping costs down for families across the province.\u201d<\/p>\n I introduced More Homes for Everyone, the next part of our plan to implement the Task Force report with a housing supply action plan every year over 4 years.<\/p>\n As a first step, we\u2019re consulting on the multi-generational community to deliver gentle density.https:\/\/t.co\/7ht1ArzHjx<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Steve Clark (@SteveClarkPC) March 30, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nBill proposes changes for developers, building codes and municipalities<\/h3>\n
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