Bill 17 Offers Hope For The Industry

For years, new home builders in Ontario have asked our municipal and provincial governments to do something about the proliferation of bureaucratic paperwork required to bring projects to construction efficiently. We need to add more than 2 million homes over the next decade to accommodate increasing demand, and July statistics for housing were discouraging. We may see some recovery starting this fall, as the Province has created the “Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025” – or Bill 17 (http://bit.ly/4ofFL0x). Its goal is to quicken the pace of construction of infrastructure and housing by simplifying and standardizing development processes so projects can be fast-tracked. Bill 17 does not suggest that the Province get into the home-building industry, but that the government create conditions that will help builders and developers to construct the needed infrastructure and build homes more efficiently.

Among the Bill’s measures are:

• the introduction of a new provision to the Building Code Act, 1992, which prevents municipalities from passing by-laws regarding the construction or demolition of buildings
• standardizing Building Code across the province
• working with municipalities to streamline permits and approvals to reduce costs and expedite projects, particularly around transit corridors
• enabling fewer studies by municipalities
• standardizing Official Plans across the province so approvals can be achieved more efficiently. (In most cases, these timelines involve the builder/developer submitting detailed plans to the appropriate municipalities, as well as city staff reviews, public consultation meetings, and a council vote – all of which can take up to two years and more, which results in home prices rising yet again)
• accelerating the building of infrastructure such as roads, transit and water systems
• supporting economic and community growth with a labour fund to keep workers on the job

The Bill has a lot of support from home builder associations at all levels, and the municipalities of Mississauga and Vaughan have already taken steps to drastically reduce development charges on new houses and condominiums.

The bottom line is that we need change NOW to prevent more people leaving Ontario because of the lack of affordability and supply when it comes to housing. We also need to keep the skilled labourers we have. Bill 17 may not be a magic bullet, but it is a definite step in the right direction.