Ontario's housing minister is announcing a new set of planning rules for the province, which he says will help more homes get built in communities across the province. Ontario Housing Minister Paul Calandra speaks during a press conference at Toronto City Hall, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey
OTTAWA – Ontario’s housing minister is announcing a new set of planning rules, which he says will help more homes get built in communities across the province.
Paul Calandra announced the new Provincial Planning Statement today at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, telling the municipal leaders in attendance that it will give them more tools and flexibility.
He says the updated statement also streamlines the existing rules, coming in 100 pages and 30,000 words shorter.
The planning statement guides municipal planners on their community’s growth, including what areas will be used for housing, industry and farming.
Calandra says key changes encourage the building of more homes near major transit stations and on underused low-density lands such as shopping plazas and malls.
The province has been consulting for several months on a new planning statement, and when upcoming changes were first announced at the same time as a housing bill, the group Environmental Defence said the two moves would promote low-density sprawl.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2024.
