Ontario government announces housing rule amendments to encourage more housing

DAN CEARNS The Standard

DURHAM/KAWARTHA: The Ontario government is making some changes, to encourage municipalities to get more housing approved.

These changes were announced, at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference, on Tuesday, August 20th.

The government is consolidating the 2020 Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) and the ‘A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe,’ to form the new Provincial Planning Statement and also making updates to it.

“The PPS is a set of directions, provided by the province which municipal planners, planning boards, and decision makers follow, for land-use planning and development in Ontario. They use the PPS to make long-term plans for how their community will grow. This helps them, as well as the province, forecast and plan for which areas will be used for new housing, which areas will be used for industry, and which areas will be reserved for farming, parks and other greenspaces, so we will have the homes and businesses we need while ensuring the protection of agricultural lands, cultural heritage and natural areas,” an Ontario government press release explained.

At the conference, Paul Calandra, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, stated, this planning statement was created after “significant consultation with [AMO], with stakeholders, [and] with First Nations leaders.”

“It will ensure one consistent set of planning directions, across the province. It recognizes municipalities understand local challenges and priorities when it comes to building homes,” Minister Calandra added.

The press release explained, this statement encourages “the building of more homes in areas close to major transit stations,” and “promotes building more homes on underused low-density lands like shopping plazas and malls.”

This new statement will come into effect on October 20th.