Latest news with #MZO
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ontario to table new bill aimed at speeding up development of homes, roads and transit
Ontario's housing minister has announced a plan to speed up new home construction while lowering costs for developers through new legislation set to be tabled on Monday. The legislation, aimed at solving Ontario's housing crisis, would also fast-track road and transit projects in the province, and comes as the Ford government struggles to meet its goal of building 1.5 million homes. "Through our proposed legislation, we plan to cut red tape, speed up approvals and reduce charges," said Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack at a news conference in Vaughan Monday. "And most importantly, make it more affordable to build and buy a home in Ontario." The Ford government's target goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031 was not mentioned in the news release Monday. Asked why, Flack admitted the province isn't currently on track to meet its goal. "It's a goal, but frankly I'm more focused and our team is focused more on the next 12 to 24 months because if it stays the way it is now, we'll never get there," he responded. "But is it forgotten? No way." Flack said Ontario needs to make "immediate changes" to home building rules and his focus is on the next two years in order to spur development. If passed, the bill would reduce the scope and number of studies municipalities can require for new developments, speed up certain minor variances and standardize and streamline fees developers pay that municipalities use to fund housing-enabling infrastructure such as water and sewer lines. As well, the bill would standardize construction requirements, provide clarity that municipalities can't create construction standards beyond the building code and would cap the number of affordable units a municipality can require in certain residential developments. WATCH: How modular housing could help solve Ontario's housing crisis: Flack announced the new bill Monday alongside Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish and Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca — days before the Ontario government is set to release its provincial budget. The Ontario Home Builders' Association welcomed the announcement Monday, saying builders have long advocated for addressing issues of development charges as well as permitting and approval delays. "This legislation is a strong step towards boosting supply, restoring affordability, and protecting jobs in the residential construction sector," said CEO Scott Andison. Concern over controversial MZO powers Last week, Flack hinted at the bill, garnering skepticism from opposition leaders including NDP Leader Marit Stiles, who said she is concerned about reports from Global News that the bill could extend the controversial MZO (Minister's Zoning Order) powers to Surma. Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie said expanding the use of sweeping zoning orders does not guarantee housing will be built faster in Ontario, calling it "government overreach." Flack says the legislation responds to recommendations from municipal leaders and will help both lower housing costs and keep workers on the job in the face of economic uncertainty. The government also announced Monday that it will add $400 million to two funds that municipalities use to build housing-enabling infrastructure. In 2022, Premier Doug Ford pledged to build 1.5 million new homes by 2031, a target Ontario would need to build 100,000 homes a year to hit. But as recently as last October, the government's own fall economic statement showed the province is not on track to hit that level in 2025, 2026, or 2027. "We've got headwinds in our economy," Flack told reporters at Queen's Park last Thursday. "We need bold initiatives, and we have to build faster. We're looking at the cost of housing today. It takes too long and it costs too much to get shovels in the ground."
Global News
08-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Ontario set to expand powers for new developments to bypass planning process
The Ford government is considering handing new powers to the minister of infrastructure that would allow her to exempt transit-oriented communities from a slew of zoning and planning rules, Global News has learned, in order to speed up the creation of the developments built directly above transit lines. As part of a bill set to be tabled next week — the Protecting Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act — the government will allow the infrastructure minister to issue minister's zoning orders, power previously reserved for the minister of municipal affairs and housing. Those orders allow projects to skip large parts of the planning process normally governed by local councils and municipal rules. Developments given minister's zoning orders don't need to comply with local height requirements, parking rules or other zoning specifications normally enforced on developers by towns and cities. Story continues below advertisement 'This legislation does not change the existing MZO process,' a spokesperson for the Minister of Infrastructure told Global News. 'Rather, it gives the Minister responsible for TOCs the appropriate responsibility to deal with the program — streamlining the process and making it more transparent for municipalities and partners while creating more opportunities to build communities near transit.' The move is one of a series of housing-related changes the Ford government is set to unveil next week, according to internal documents obtained by Global News. Other measures relate to areas like development charges and inclusionary zoning. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The new minister's zoning order powers will be given to Kinga Surma, who heads up the infrastructure ministry. She will be able to use them to push forward transit-oriented communities across Ontario. The government is in the process of building several transit-oriented communities in and around Toronto. The projects are housing developments being built along major infrastructure like the Ontario Line, with a key selling point being that developers pay for the cost of building new station infrastructure. The fresh powers would allow potential new transit-oriented communities — which amount to entire planned areas rather than a single housing tower — to get underway faster and through fewer steps. Story continues below advertisement While the government is hoping the move will help it to boost its ailing housing starts, it also comes as the province faces growing frustration with its approach to consultation and allowing major projects to get going faster. The government is currently proposing to create so-called zones of economic interest in Ontario, where a slew of laws and assessments would not apply, and cabinet ministers would have the power to waive requirements. Critics say the bill, known as the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, is designed to ensure projects such as Premier Doug Ford's proposed tunnel under Highway 401 and critical mineral mining in northern Ontario get done with little resistance. The bill calls for 'trusted proponents' and 'designated projects' within the special economic zones to be exempt from having to comply with all provincial and municipal laws, which the organization said is concerning. Minister's zoning orders do not give the government that level of power, but they do exempt projects from a number of planning requirements and a significant level of community consultation. The province also used a minister's zoning order at Ontario Place to bypass the City of Toronto's planning rules for its controversial development of the waterfront attraction to include a private spa and waterpark. They could increase the number of orders issued, with two ministers now allowed to grant the bypass rights to developers rather than one. Story continues below advertisement The Ford government relied heavily on the zoning orders early in its term, handing out record numbers of them for housing projects. The move drew sharp criticism from some quarters, including opponents who characterized it as a giveaway to developers and provincial meddling in municipal issues. After the Greenbelt scandal, where the Ford government briefly removed protected land to allow for development, the Ontario NDP turned the spotlight on the zoning orders, pointing out developers who attended Ontario Premier Doug Ford's wedding received a total of 18 minister's zoning orders. Several ministers' zoning orders were also placed on watchlists or cancelled altogether after the Greenbelt scandal. The same legislation will change some of the rules around how minister's zoning orders work in an effort to ensure the decrees result in faster home development. Specifically, the minister issuing the order will be able to impose conditions on developers, which means it won't come into effect, and let them bypass the planning process, until certain conditions have been met. — with files from The Canadian Press
