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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Canada-U.S. trade war could spark an 'immediate crisis' in Ontario's landfills
Doug Ford's government is blaming U.S. tariffs for the expansion of a controversial landfill project in southwestern Ontario — but experts say the conflict should serve as a wake-up call that time is running out to find long-term solutions to the province's rapidly-filling landfills. Ford's government has repeatedly raised the spectre of the U.S. President Donald Trump tariffing, or cutting off, garbage shipments to the U.S. as the rationale to reopen the York1 landfill site near Dresden, Ont. While it's unclear if Trump has made such a threat publicly, or privately, the province has depended on the U.S. to take millions of tonnes of its trash for decades. "It's about being self-reliant when it comes to waste management and all matters economic," Ontario's Environment Minister Todd McCarthy said in question period recently while defending the York1 project. Ontario sent one-third of its waste to three American states between 2006 and 2022, with 40 million tonnes going to Michigan alone. Ontario generates between 12 and 15 million tonnes of trash annually and while the government's concerns are legitimate, one landfill will not solve the problem, said York University professor Calvin Lakhan. "If, for whatever reason, the U.S. administration decided to close their borders to Canadian waste … we would face an immediate crisis that we simply do not have the infrastructure to manage," Lakhan said. WATCH | Conservative MPP speaks out against proposed Dresden landfill: The province's auditor general and the association that represents the province's waste and recycling sector have warned for years that Ontario's landfill capacity will be exhausted over the next decade. A 2023 report from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario showed that while waste diversion rates increased in the preceding five years, so too did the amount of garbage generated by the province's growing population. Even before Trump took office, Ontario faced major challenges disposing of its own garbage, said Lakhan, who is director of York's Circular Innovation Hub. But, he says the Dresden landfill, which the company says will take only non-hazardous construction and demolition materials, won't be enough to solve the crunch. "Adding additional capacity to one landfill in the province is like putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound," he said. "At best, it provides us a temporary reprieve." Late last month, NDP environment critic Peter Tabuns slammed the government for failing to take earlier action on the file. "In 2021, the Auditor General reported Ontario was facing a landfill crunch," he said. "This is not news, and the government did nothing about it." At the time, the then-auditor general Bonnie Lysyk issued a damning report which laid some of the blame for the landfill crunch at the feet of businesses and institutions provincewide. They generate 60 per cent of Ontario's waste — that's at least 7.2 million tonnes of waste annually — and 98 per cent don't recycle, she 2017, the previous Liberal government set a goal to divert half of all waste generated by the province's residential and business sectors by 2030, and 80 per cent by 2050. As of 2021, Lysyk said the province was not on track to hit those targets. As a result, she warned, "Ontario will be faced with questions about where to put all this waste and how to pay for it in the very near future." A follow up audit from Lysyk's office in 2023 showed the government had made little progress on her 2021 recommendations. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said the government has shown little interest in tackling the problem. "What this really shows is the Ford government's utter failure to bring forward a zero waste strategy for Ontario to hit waste diversion targets," he told CBC Toronto in a recent interview. Karen Wirsig, senior program manager for plastics with Environmental Defence, said she's concerned the government will use Trump's tariffs as an excuse to push ahead with new or expanded landfills and to loosen environmental assessment rules around their creation. "What worries me — and what it probably signals — is a broader intention by the government to use the sense of emergency to override local planning, local decision-making and local wishes," she said. Ontario should use this moment to build consensus on a variety of waste diversion strategies that prolong the life of its current landfills, Wirsig said. It could also create a plastic bottle deposit program to encourage recycling and get behind "right to repair" efforts to keep electronics in use for years, she added. "This is the low hanging fruit," Wirsig said, stressing that pursuing an organics diversion program amongst businesses, institutions and multi-unit residential properties would keep food waste out of landfills. Lakhan said the province may have to consider expansion of waste to energy facilities that burn trash to create electricity. While the technology remains controversial in Ontario, he said Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia are turning to it. "It's not necessarily considered a desirable end-of-life outcome," he said. "But the reality is that it's probably one of the only economically and technologically feasible short-term solutions that could potentially address this waste crisis." The association that represents Ontario's waste and recycling sector said it too is concerned about the spectre of tariffs on garbage shipments. It can take eight to 10 years for a new landfill to become operational, so enhanced disposal and diversion methods are needed, said Waste to Resource Ontario spokesperson Sophia Koukoulas. "Landfill continuation initiatives like expansions are the best short-term solutions to mitigate trade threats now, while preserving disposal capacity long-term," she said in a statement. A spokesperson for Minister McCarthy said the York1 project near Dresden is the landfill that can "mobilize the quickest" to reduce reliance on the U.S. "We have been clear, the project will still undergo extensive environmental processes and remain subject to strong provincial oversight and other regulatory requirements," Alexandru Cioban said in a statement.
4 days ago
- Business
Canada-U.S. trade war could spark an 'immediate crisis' in Ontario's landfills
Doug Ford's government is blaming U.S. tariffs for the expansion of a controversial landfill project in southwestern Ontario — but experts say the conflict should serve as a wake-up call that time is running out to find long-term solutions to the province's rapidly-filling landfills. Ford's government has repeatedly raised the spectre of the U.S. President Donald Trump tariffing, or cutting off, garbage shipments to the U.S. as the rationale to reopen the York1 landfill site near Dresden, Ont. While it's unclear if Trump has made such a threat publicly, or privately, the province has depended on the U.S. to take millions of tonnes of its trash for decades. It's about being self-reliant when it comes to waste management and all matters economic, Ontario's Environment Minister Todd McCarthy said in question period recently while defending the York1 project. Ontario sent one-third of its waste to three American states between 2006 and 2022, with 40 million tonnes going to Michigan alone. Ontario generates between 12 and 15 million tonnes of trash annually and while the government's concerns are legitimate, one landfill will not solve the problem, said York University professor Calvin Lakhan. If, for whatever reason, the U.S. administration decided to close their borders to Canadian waste … we would face an immediate crisis that we simply do not have the infrastructure to manage, Lakhan said. WATCH | Conservative MPP speaks out against proposed Dresden landfill: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Conservative MPP speaks out against proposed Dresden landfill A Conservative MPP is speaking out against the proposed Dresden landfill, all while the premier is working to fast-track the process. CBC's Katerina Georgieva reports. Ontario will exhaust its landfill capacity over the next decade The province's auditor general and the association that represents the province's waste and recycling sector have warned for years that Ontario's landfill capacity will be exhausted over the next decade. A 2023 report from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario showed that while waste diversion rates increased in the preceding five years, so too did the amount of garbage generated by the province's growing population. Even before Trump took office, Ontario faced major challenges disposing of its own garbage, said Lakhan, who is director of York's Circular Innovation Hub. But, he says the Dresden landfill, which the company says will take only non-hazardous construction and demolition materials, won't be enough to solve the crunch. Adding additional capacity to one landfill in the province is like putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound, he said. At best, it provides us a temporary reprieve. Late last month, NDP environment critic Peter Tabuns slammed the government for failing to take earlier action on the file. In 2021, the Auditor General reported Ontario was facing a landfill crunch, he said. "This is not news, and the government did nothing about it." AG warns businesses, institutions not doing enough to divert waste At the time, the then-auditor general Bonnie Lysyk issued a damning report which laid some of the blame for the landfill crunch at the feet of businesses and institutions provincewide. They generate 60 per cent of Ontario's waste — that's at least 7.2 million tonnes of waste annually — and 98 per cent don't recycle, she said. WATCH | Changes to who pays for recycling in Ontario: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Who pays for recycling collection in Ontario is changing, and corporations aren't happy Ontario is in the process of shifting the cost burden of blue box recycling programs away from municipalities and onto companies that make and sell products that generate waste. As CBC's Mike Crawley explains, some of those companies are now asking Doug Ford's government to change the plan, saying it's too expensive. In 2017, the previous Liberal government set a goal to divert half of all waste generated by the province's residential and business sectors by 2030, and 80 per cent by 2050. As of 2021, Lysyk said the province was not on track to hit those targets. As a result, she warned, Ontario will be faced with questions about where to put all this waste and how to pay for it in the very near future. A follow up audit from Lysyk's office in 2023 showed the government had made little progress on her 2021 recommendations. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said the government has shown little interest in tackling the problem. What this really shows is the Ford government's utter failure to bring forward a zero waste strategy for Ontario to hit waste diversion targets, he told CBC Toronto in a recent interview. Trade war an excuse to loosen rules, says environmentalist Karen Wirsig, senior program manager for plastics with Environmental Defence, said she's concerned the government will use Trump's tariffs as an excuse to push ahead with new or expanded landfills and to loosen environmental assessment rules around their creation. What worries me — and what it probably signals — is a broader intention by the government to use the sense of emergency to override local planning, local decision-making and local wishes, she said. Ontario should use this moment to build consensus on a variety of waste diversion strategies that prolong the life of its current landfills, Wirsig said. It could also create a plastic bottle deposit program to encourage recycling and get behind "right to repair" (new window) efforts to keep electronics in use for years, she added. This is the low hanging fruit, Wirsig said, stressing that pursuing an organics diversion program amongst businesses, institutions and multi-unit residential properties would keep food waste out of landfills. Lakhan said the province may have to consider expansion of waste to energy facilities that burn trash to create electricity. While the technology remains controversial in Ontario, he said Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia are turning to it. It's not necessarily considered a desirable end-of-life outcome, he said. But the reality is that it's probably one of the only economically and technologically feasible short-term solutions that could potentially address this waste crisis. The association that represents Ontario's waste and recycling sector said it too is concerned about the spectre of tariffs on garbage shipments. It can take eight to 10 years for a new landfill to become operational, so enhanced disposal and diversion methods are needed, said Waste to Resource Ontario spokesperson Sophia Koukoulas. Landfill continuation initiatives like expansions are the best short-term solutions to mitigate trade threats now, while preserving disposal capacity long-term, she said in a statement. A spokesperson for Minister McCarthy said the York1 project near Dresden is the landfill that can mobilize the quickest to reduce reliance on the U.S. We have been clear, the project will still undergo extensive environmental processes and remain subject to strong provincial oversight and other regulatory requirements, Alexandru Cioban said in a statement. Shawn Jeffords (new window) · CBC News
Winnipeg Free Press
15-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
In Canada's housing crisis, are modular homes a cheaper and faster solution?
TORONTO – When a church in Toronto's west end was converted into affordable housing nearly 15 years ago, the group behind the project was already thinking ahead. Andrea Adams, the executive director of the non-profit developer St. Clare's, said she was 'daydreaming' about what could be built on the yard next to the 20-unit building on Ossington Avenue. She was eventually introduced to Assembly Corp., a company that builds mass timber modular housing, around the same time that the city was looking for proposals for 'shovel ready' affordable housing projects. St. Clare's had the land, the contractor — and, more importantly, the will to get the project done. The result is an eye-catching, three-storey building that's now home to more than two dozen people who were experiencing homelessness. 'It's a very assertive project,' Adams said in her office next to the L-shaped motel-style structure. Its residents, she said, 'would have been people that were living in shelters or couch surfing or living in tents.' The project is a small step toward addressing the cost-of-living problem in a province that saw 80,000 people experience homelessness in 2024, according to an Association of Municipalities of Ontario report. Advocates and experts say while there is no single solution to the homelessness crisis that's compounded by mental health and addictions issues, prefabricated homes could play a significant role in addressing the shortage of affordable and supportive housing. 'The modular definitely helps because the faster construction is, the least expensive it is,' Adams said. The 25-unit complex on Ossington was erected in just 21 working days and overall construction took eight months. The size of each small studio is around 220 square feet, with a bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. The modern, light brown exterior with large windows and shading fins draws the attention of passersby. The structure 'uses every square inch of property available to it and yet still looks beautiful,' Adams said. Given the urgency of the homelessness problem, a lot more needs to be done, she said. 'We need to do all the things and think of more things and then do those things.' Lack of housing is a Canada-wide issue and by some estimates, the country needs millions of new homes for its growing population. During the federal election campaign, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised a housing plan that would yield 500,000 new homes annually and provide $25 billion in loans for companies that make factory-built homes. In his first news conference after the April 28 vote, Carney said he aims to create an 'entirely new Canadian housing industry' around modular housing, using Canadian lumber, skilled workers and technology. During the February provincial election, Ontario Premier Doug Ford also promised $50 million to support modular housing technology. Experts say modular homes have several advantages that include a quicker construction timeline, cost effectiveness and an opportunity to build them in an environmentally friendly way. The key to unlocking that potential is to create a stable demand for modular homes so factories can invest in them and hire workers with confidence, said Carolyn Whitzman, a professor and researcher at the University of Toronto's School of Cities. She said the new government's investment in factory-built homes is a welcome move, but more needs to be done to make the plan a success. 'The trick is how can Canada get to the scale,' she said, noting modular construction isn't as fast or cheap as it has the potential to be, and that could change if production ramps up. 'In order to build those factories and give people factory jobs, you need to have a certain level of demand. We simply don't have that yet.' She said the federal government could place an order for factories to build a specific number of modular homes for supportive, student or other types of social housing every year to help stimulate the market. Though modular housing accounts for only four to six per cent of construction, it is becoming more popular in Canada, a report co-authored by Whitzman said. Whitzman said Sweden is an example of a country that successfully turned to modular homes to address a housing crisis, with nearly 45 per cent of its homes built in factories. In Canada, where industry labour shortages and long winters can delay construction timelines, prefabricated homes may alleviate some of those uncertainties, Whitzman said. But despite its many advantages, modular housing isn't a 'magic bullet' for affordability. Significant government financial assistance and involvement is required, she said. For the Ossington Avenue modular building, the federal government provided around $4.8 million in funding and the City of Toronto contributed approximately $1.7 million in the form of incentives, charge waivers and tax relief. St. Clare's equity was estimated to be around $900,000. Adams, the executive director of St. Clare's, said the rent for each unit in the building is around $500 a month. Modular units are an important part of Toronto's affordable housing plan. Doug Rollins, the city's director of housing stability services, said the goal is to build 18,000 supportive housing units by 2030, some of which will be prefabricated. The city recently completed the construction of a five-storey, 64-unit prefabricated building on Kingston Road in the east end, with rent based on each tenant's income, Rollins said. 'It will remain affordable and as their income changes, so will their rent,' he said. Other modular housing projects are underway elsewhere in Toronto and builders say they're seeing increased demand for prefabricated homes. Luke Moir, who managed the Ossington Avenue project, said it is a 'great example' of how unused land in urban centres could be transformed. 'It is a piece of the puzzle,' he said of prefabricated homes as a housing shortage solution. Moir, who works as a project manager at Assembly Corp., the contractor that built the house for St. Clare's, said such construction projects are also less disruptive because most components are made of wood and assembled off-site, meaning there is 'a lot less nailing and banging, and then there's no dust and grinding.' In Ottawa, Theberge Group of Companies is working on its first factory-built home with eight apartments in the Westboro neighbourhood. Production began in early February. The modules were brought on site in mid-March and erected in just three days. The project is set to be fully completed by the end of June, and the first tenant is expected to move in on July 1. Jeremy Silburt, the company's director of acquisitions, planning and development, said Theberge is expected to start working on a few more for-profit modular home projects in late summer. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Non-profit groups have reached out to the company about partnering to build affordable homes, he said, adding that modular homes cut the construction time by one-third. 'So it allows us to build a project a little bit cheaper, yes, but also very quickly and that saves us a bunch of money and time,' he said. Smaller cities in Ontario have also adopted modular construction in an effort to build small homes fast. Peterborough built a 50-unit complex in 2023, London constructed a 61-unit building in 2022 and Marathon, a town 300 kilometres east of Thunder Bay, has plans for a similar 20-unit project, according to the Ontario Real Estate Association. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
In Canada's housing crisis, are modular homes a cheaper and faster solution?
TORONTO — When a church in Toronto's west end was converted into affordable housing nearly 15 years ago, the group behind the project was already thinking ahead. Andrea Adams, the executive director of the non-profit developer St. Clare's, said she was "daydreaming" about what could be built on the yard next to the 20-unit building on Ossington Avenue. She was eventually introduced to Assembly Corp., a company that builds mass timber modular housing, around the same time that the city was looking for proposals for "shovel ready" affordable housing projects. St. Clare's had the land, the contractor — and, more importantly, the will to get the project done. The result is an eye-catching, three-storey building that's now home to more than two dozen people who were experiencing homelessness. "It's a very assertive project," Adams said in her office next to the L-shaped motel-style structure. Its residents, she said, "would have been people that were living in shelters or couch surfing or living in tents." The project is a small step toward addressing the cost-of-living problem in a province that saw 80,000 people experience homelessness in 2024, according to an Association of Municipalities of Ontario report. Advocates and experts say while there is no single solution to the homelessness crisis that's compounded by mental health and addictions issues, prefabricated homes could play a significant role in addressing the shortage of affordable and supportive housing. "The modular definitely helps because the faster construction is, the least expensive it is," Adams said. The 25-unit complex on Ossington was erected in just 21 working days and overall construction took eight months. The size of each small studio is around 220 square feet, with a bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. The modern, light brown exterior with large windows and shading fins draws the attention of passersby. The structure "uses every square inch of property available to it and yet still looks beautiful," Adams said. Given the urgency of the homelessness problem, a lot more needs to be done, she said. "We need to do all the things and think of more things and then do those things." Lack of housing is a Canada-wide issue and by some estimates, the country needs millions of new homes for its growing population. During the federal election campaign, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised a housing plan that would yield 500,000 new homes annually and provide $25 billion in loans for companies that make factory-built homes. In his first news conference after the April 28 vote, Carney said he aims to create an "entirely new Canadian housing industry" around modular housing, using Canadian lumber, skilled workers and technology. During the February provincial election, Ontario Premier Doug Ford also promised $50 million to support modular housing technology. Experts say modular homes have several advantages that include a quicker construction timeline, cost effectiveness and an opportunity to build them in an environmentally friendly way. The key to unlocking that potential is to create a stable demand for modular homes so factories can invest in them and hire workers with confidence, said Carolyn Whitzman, a professor and researcher at the University of Toronto's School of Cities. She said the new government's investment in factory-built homes is a welcome move, but more needs to be done to make the plan a success. "The trick is how can Canada get to the scale," she said, noting modular construction isn't as fast or cheap as it has the potential to be, and that could change if production ramps up. "In order to build those factories and give people factory jobs, you need to have a certain level of demand. We simply don't have that yet." She said the federal government could place an order for factories to build a specific number of modular homes for supportive, student or other types of social housing every year to help stimulate the market. Though modular housing accounts for only four to six per cent of construction, it is becoming more popular in Canada, a report co-authored by Whitzman said. Whitzman said Sweden is an example of a country that successfully turned to modular homes to address a housing crisis, with nearly 45 per cent of its homes built in factories. In Canada, where industry labour shortages and long winters can delay construction timelines, prefabricated homes may alleviate some of those uncertainties, Whitzman said. But despite its many advantages, modular housing isn't a "magic bullet" for affordability. Significant government financial assistance and involvement is required, she said. For the Ossington Avenue modular building, the federal government provided around $4.8 million in funding and the City of Toronto contributed approximately $1.7 million in the form of incentives, charge waivers and tax relief. St. Clare's equity was estimated to be around $900,000. Adams, the executive director of St. Clare's, said the rent for each unit in the building is around $500 a month. Modular units are an important part of Toronto's affordable housing plan. Doug Rollins, the city's director of housing stability services, said the goal is to build 18,000 supportive housing units by 2030, some of which will be prefabricated. The city recently completed the construction of a five-storey, 64-unit prefabricated building on Kingston Road in the east end, with rent based on each tenant's income, Rollins said. "It will remain affordable and as their income changes, so will their rent," he said. Other modular housing projects are underway elsewhere in Toronto and builders say they're seeing increased demand for prefabricated homes. Luke Moir, who managed the Ossington Avenue project, said it is a "great example" of how unused land in urban centres could be transformed. "It is a piece of the puzzle," he said of prefabricated homes as a housing shortage solution. Moir, who works as a project manager at Assembly Corp., the contractor that built the house for St. Clare's, said such construction projects are also less disruptive because most components are made of wood and assembled off-site, meaning there is "a lot less nailing and banging, and then there's no dust and grinding." In Ottawa, Theberge Group of Companies is working on its first factory-built home with eight apartments in the Westboro neighbourhood. Production began in early February. The modules were brought on site in mid-March and erected in just three days. The project is set to be fully completed by the end of June, and the first tenant is expected to move in on July 1. Jeremy Silburt, the company's director of acquisitions, planning and development, said Theberge is expected to start working on a few more for-profit modular home projects in late summer. Non-profit groups have reached out to the company about partnering to build affordable homes, he said, adding that modular homes cut the construction time by one-third. "So it allows us to build a project a little bit cheaper, yes, but also very quickly and that saves us a bunch of money and time," he said. Smaller cities in Ontario have also adopted modular construction in an effort to build small homes fast. Peterborough built a 50-unit complex in 2023, London constructed a 61-unit building in 2022 and Marathon, a town 300 kilometres east of Thunder Bay, has plans for a similar 20-unit project, according to the Ontario Real Estate Association. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025. Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Global News
12-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Ontario tables latest housing bill, targeting changes to local planning process
The Ford government has unveiled its latest round of housing with a push to streamline development charges in hopes of boosting its flagging homebuilding statistics. On Monday, Housing Minister Rob Flack gathered municipal leaders and developers at a news conference in Vaughan, Ont., to announce the bill, along with a round of infrastructure funding. 'The legislation we're tabling today responds to recommendations and requests from municipal leaders, and will help build the homes and infrastructure Ontario needs,' Flack said in a statement. The new legislation, titled the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smart Act, includes a commitment to standardize the fees municipalities make developers pay, block cities from charging developers for requirements outside the provincial Building Code and bring uniformity to road construction rules. Among the changes: Story continues below advertisement Cities will not be able to request studies from developers which are not listed in their official plans Adding portable classrooms to school sites and new schools to be built on land zoned for residential use Set a maximum rate for inclusionary zoning projects where cities cannot demand more than five per cent of units be affordable Merging some development charge categories, like roads and transit, together through a credit system The government also announced today that it will add $400 million to two funds municipalities use to build housing-enabling infrastructure. Building on research undertaken during the semi-reversed split of Peel Region, the province is also set to explore changing the way water and wastewater and built and delivered — considering moving to a public utility model, like a municipal service corporation, The government assembled a stream of stakeholders to endorse the new legislation. Robin Jones, the president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, said towns and cities in the province were 'firmly behind' the move to streamline development charges. The chair of the Big City Mayors caucus, Marianne Meed Ward, said she looked forward to 'working closely with the provincial government on enabling regulations for this legislation to accelerate housing development.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy At Queen's Park, critics were cautious, pointing to the government's stalled housing starts as evidence that the province's approach wasn't working. Story continues below advertisement 'They have more housing bills than housing units built,' NDP Leader Marit Stiles complained when asked if the latest legislation would make a difference. 'This is a government that has failed very dramatically to build housing right across the province of Ontario. They keep putting forward new bills; we'll wait to see what is in this newest legislation.' Bonnie Crombie, Ontario Liberal Leader, said she feared the province was stepping too far. 'I am very concerned about overreach and this bill is yet another example of overreach of this government into municipal affairs, particularly into planning and zoning,' she said. Green Leader Mike Schreiner said the bill had missed the mark and called for the government to make it easier to build medium-density homes. 23:00 Focus Ontario: Bill 5 Breakdown The new legislation comes as Ontario struggles to meet its goal of 1.5 million new homes by 2031. Story continues below advertisement The target was introduced after recommendations from an expert housing panel ahead of the 2022 provincial election and was a cornerstone of the government's campaign. After the election, then-housing minister Steve Clark removed protected land from the Greenbelt, something the government framed as part of the pursuit of that target. Successive watchdog investigations, however, found the move had been poorly coordinated and would potentially benefit developers to the tune of $8.4 billion, ultimately leading to it being reversed. The three years that followed the 2022 election win have seen housing starts consistently fail to get anywhere near the annual average of 150,000 needed to build 1.5 million new homes. Even after changing its rules to count long-term care beds as new homes, the government struggled. Projections in last year's budget showed it continuing to fall short The government's expectations, based on private sector projections, show 87,900 housing starts in 2024, 90,000 starts in 2025 and 94,000 housing starts in 2026. While the numbers represent an improvement, they would still see Ontario fall well short of its goal. Over those years, Ontario is projected to build 274,000 new homes; the province's housing goals are set at 300,000. Data published recently by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation showed that housing starts in Ontario in March were down 46 per cent, year over year, for communities with 10,000 or more people. Story continues below advertisement Flack said the target has not been forgotten, but conceded there are challenges. 'We've got some pretty strong headwinds,' he said at a press conference to announce his bill. 'It's a goal. But frankly, I'm focused more on — and our team is focused on — the next 12 to 24 months, because if it stays the way it is now, we'll never get there. We have to make immediate changes.' Homebuilders whom the government quoted to endorse its latest round of legislation said the new rules could help. 'In light of the dire housing supply and affordability crisis that we are facing, the proposed legislative changes are critical to eliminating hurdles and reducing costs so that the residential construction industry can get back on track and build the housing that Ontario needs,' RESCON president Richard Lyall said. 'Today's announcement aligns with many of the priorities identified by RESCON over the past two years to support residential housing construction and new home building. The actions undertaken by the government are vital to this effort.' — with files from The Canadian Press
