Ontario Working With Municipalities, Industry To Bring New Housing To Market Faster

News Release


Action Plan Released To Streamline Development Approvals
November 13, 2017 10:00 A.M.Ministry of Municipal Affairs
Ontario is taking immediate steps to streamline the approvals process for new housing developments, which will help bring more housing to market sooner. Streamlining housing approvals will help more people find affordable homes.
The province recently released a 14-point action plan that includes recommendations for better aligning infrastructure and land use planning, supporting forward-looking zoning, providing additional guidance for municipalities implementing provincial land use policies, and creating a task force to determine how best to advance electronic permitting (e-approvals) in Ontario.
The plan represents the work of the Development Approvals Roundtable, comprising representatives from the development, construction and real estate sectors and provincial and municipal officials, which met over the summer and fall to identify opportunities to streamline the development approval process in order to bring more housing to market, especially for low- and middle-income people and families in Ontario. 
Ensuring that everyone in Ontario has a safe and affordable place to call home is part of Ontario's plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation.
Quick Facts

• The Development Approvals Roundtable report was released on November 8, 2017.
• The roundtable is part of the government’s Fair Housing Plan, announced earlier this year, which will help more people find affordable homes, increase supply, protect buyers and renters, and bring stability to the real estate market. Members of the roundtable will continue to meet to review progress and discuss additional initiatives.
• The housing industry employs almost 200,000 people in the province and contributes more than $14 billion to Ontario’s economy.

Additional Resources

• See the Development Approval Roundtable Action Plan.
• Read about the Fair Housing Plan.