Housing Affordability Task Force report
Read the Task Force’s report and see how we’re making progress on their recommendations to increase the supply of housing in Ontario.
Overview
The Task Force is comprised of industry leaders and experts. They consulted with stakeholders including municipalities and advocacy groups to develop their report.
The Task Force report is part of the government’s broader plan to seek feedback from a variety of sources, including through municipal and public consultations, to identify and implement measures to address the housing supply crisis and get homes built faster.
Introduction
House prices in Ontario have almost tripled in the past 10 years, growing much faster than incomes. This has made home ownership beyond the reach of most first-time buyers across the province, even those with well-paying jobs. Housing has become too expensive for rental units and it has become too expensive in rural communities and small towns. The system is not working as it should.
For too long, we have focused on solutions to “cool” the housing market. It is now clear that we do not have enough housing to meet the needs of Ontarians today, and we are not building enough housing to meet the needs of our growing population. If this problem is not fixed — by creating more housing to meet the growing demand — housing prices will continue to rise. We need to build more housing in Ontario.
This report sets out recommendations that would:
- set a bold goal and clear direction for the province
- increase housing density
- remove exclusionary rules that prevent housing growth
- prevent abuse of the appeals process
- and make sure municipalities are treated as partners in this process by incentivizing success
Read the Housing Affordability Task Force report (PDF)
If you require this information in an alternative format, please contact housingsupply@ontario.ca. We will:
- acknowledge your request within three business days
- confirm when we are able to fulfill your request
Progress on recommendations
More Homes for Everyone highlighted that the Task Force report serves as a long-term roadmap for Ontario as we continue to work to tackle the housing supply crisis.
The Housing Affordability Task Force has provided 55 high-level recommendations to help address housing supply and affordability issues in Ontario.
To implement these effectively, some recommendations need multiple actions. These are indicated in the tracker with the original recommendation number and an added letter (for example, 3a, 3b).
The Task Force made additional recommendations that were out of scope of the mandate in appendices B and C. These are still being considered and are indicated in the tracker by appendix letter and number (for example, Appendix B1).
When all these actions are included, there are a total of 74 recommendations from the report.
We have listed recommendations that we have addressed to date and whether they are:
- fully implemented without amendments
- implemented with amendments to address the root cause of the issue in the spirit of the recommendations (with the potential for additional action in the future)
Those that are still under review will be added to the table as we make progress on them. We have proposed or are in the process of implementing more policies that address these recommendations (for example, through the proposed Provincial Planning Statement).
Of 74 recommendations:
| Recommendation | Implementation status | Details of implementation |
|---|---|---|
1. Set a goal of building 1.5 million new homes in ten years. | Fully implemented | Ontario committed to a target of 1.5 million new homes by 2031 in More Homes Built Faster. Since then, the Province has acknowledged that 1.5 million homes is a baseline and that more action is needed. |
3. Limit exclusionary zoning in municipalities through binding provincial actions: a. Allow “as of right” residential housing up to four units and up to four storeys on a single residential lot. | Implemented with amendments | The More Homes Built Faster Act amended the Planning Act by overriding zoning by-laws to allow “as-of-right” (without the need to apply for a rezoning) the use of up to three units per lot in most existing residential areas. These changes came into effect on November 28, 2022. Ontario is continuing to explore opportunities for further implementation in the future, including through consultations with heads of council on the remaining task force recommendations. Municipalities are also encouraged to adopt official plan policies and zoning by-laws that exceed the three unit per lot minimum to help meet their provincially-assigned housing targets. Ontario is supporting this outcome through measures such as the Building Faster Fund, which will provide financial incentives for municipalities that meet or exceed their housing targets. |
5. Permit “as of right” secondary suites, garden suites, and laneway houses province-wide. | Implemented with amendments | The More Homes Built Faster Act amended the Planning Act (s. 16 (3)) by overriding zoning by-laws to allow “as-of-right” (without the need to apply for a rezoning) the use of up to three units per lot in most existing residential areas. One of the three units can be in an ancillary structure, such as a laneway house. These changes came into effect on November 28, 2022. |
12. Create a more permissive land use, planning, and approvals system: a. Repeal or override municipal policies, zoning, or plans that prioritize the preservation of physical character of neighbourhood. | Implemented with amendments | The More Homes Built Faster Act amended the Planning Act (s. 41 (4.1)) to limit the scope of site plan control by removing the municipal ability to regulate architectural details and aesthetic aspects of landscape design. This change came into effect on November 28, 2022. |
12. Create a more permissive land use, planning, and approvals system: b. Exempt from site plan approval and public consultation all projects of 10 units or less that conform to the Official Plan and require only minor variances. | Fully implemented | The More Homes Built Faster Act amended the Planning Act (s. 41 (1.2)) to remove all aspects of site plan control for most residential developments of up to 10 units. This change came into effect on November 28, 2022. |
15. Require mandatory delegation of site plan approvals and minor variances to staff or pre-approved qualified third-party technical consultants through a simplified review and approval process, without the ability to withdraw Council’s delegation. | Implemented with amendments | The More Homes for Everyone Act amended the Planning Act (s. 41 (4.0.1)) to require that site plan control decisions be made by staff (instead of municipal councils or committees of council). This change came into effect on April 14, 2022. |
16. Prevent abuse of the heritage preservation and designation process by: a. Prohibiting the use of bulk listing on municipal heritage registers. | Implemented with amendments | Changes to O. Reg. 9/06 Criteria for Determining Cultural Heritage Value or Interest established that non-designated properties included on a municipal register must meet one or more of the criteria outlined in the regulation. The More Homes Built Faster Act amended the Ontario Heritage Act (s.27(14) to (18)) to introduce requirements that properties can only remain listed for a maximum of two years and, if not designated during that time, they must be removed from the register and cannot be relisted for a period of five years. These changes came into effect on January 1, 2023. |
16. Prevent abuse of the heritage preservation and designation process by: b. Prohibiting reactive heritage designations after a Planning Act development application has been filed. | Fully implemented | The More Homes Build Faster Act amended the Ontario Heritage Act (s.29(1.2) 1) to introduce a requirement that only properties that were already listed on a municipal heritage register can be considered for designation where a property is subject to certain Planning Act applications. This new requirement provides property owners with increased certainty and prohibits reactive designation on properties not previously noted as being of potential cultural heritage value or interest to a municipality. These changes came into effect on January 1, 2023. |
18. Restore the right of developers to appeal Official Plans and Municipal Comprehensive Reviews. | Implemented with amendments | Schedule 9 of the More Homes, More Choice Act removed restrictions on “de novo” hearings by repealing sections 38 to 42 of the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal Act. This broadened the grounds of appeal and supports the Ontario Land Tribunal in making the best planning decision. |
19. Legislate timelines at each stage of the provincial and municipal review process, including site plan, minor variance, and provincial reviews, and deem an application approved if the legislated response time is exceeded. | Implemented with amendments | The Planning Act includes statutory decision-making timelines with an ability for applicants to appeal matters to the Ontario Land Tribunal if timelines are not met. This is addressed through gradual fee refunds for rezoning and site plan if decisions are not made within timelines. |
20. Fund the creation of “approvals facilitators” with the authority to quickly resolve conflicts among municipal and/or provincial authorities and ensure timelines are met. | Fully implemented | The Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act amended the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Act (subsections 12 (2) and (3)) to allow for the appointment of up to four Deputy facilitators. |
24. Allow wood construction of up to 12 storeys. | Fully implemented | Amendments to Ontario’s Building Code (Ontario Regulation 451/22) allow encapsulated mass timber buildings to be constructed up to 12 storeys high. This came into effect July 1, 2022. |
27. Prevent abuse of process: b. Require a $10,000 filing fee for third party appeals. | Implemented with amendments | The Ontario Land Tribunal has the authority and processes in place to deter appeals that are without merit. Third-party appeals for consents and minor variances were eliminated as a result of amendments to the Planning Act made by More Homes Built Faster Act. This means only certain persons, such as the applicant or relevant municipality are allowed to appeal minor variance or consent decisions. Increasing the filing fees for third-party appeals may result in access to justice concerns. |
28. Encourage greater use of oral decisions issued the day of the hearing, with written reasons to follow, and allow those decisions to become binding the day that they are issued. | Fully implemented | The Ontario Land Tribunal is providing updated training to members to encourage use of oral decisions, when appropriate. In many cases, the complexity of the matter before the tribunal may require the member to reserve the decision in order to consider the evidence presented and applicable legislation and policies. |
34. Prohibit interest rates on development charges higher than a municipality’s borrowing rate. | Fully implemented | The More Homes Built Faster Act made changes to the Development Charges Act, 1997 (s.26.3) to set a maximum interest rate that can be levied for the development charge freeze and deferral provisions of the Canadian Banks prime rate plus 1% per year. The maximum interest rate applies as of June 1, 2022. |
38. Amend the Planning Act and Perpetuities Act to extend the maximum period for land leases and restrictive covenants on land to 40 or more years. | Fully implemented | The More Homes Built Faster Act amended the Planning Act (s. 50(3)) to allow land lease communities with leases for periods of up to 49 years to be exempted from subdivision control approval if a land lease communities proposal has gone though the site plan control process. This change came into effect on November 28, 2022. Perpetuities Act change is not required. |
40. Call on the federal government to implement an urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing strategy. | Fully implemented | Ontario has called on the federal government to implement an urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing strategy through a number of ministerial-level bilateral correspondence and has raised the issue at both bilateral and multilateral (federal/provincial/territorial) meetings. |
45. Improve funding for colleges, trade schools, and apprenticeships; encourage and incentivize municipalities, unions and employers to provide more on-the-job training. | Fully implemented | Ontario is investing to build and upgrade training centres. The funding will help unions, Indigenous centres, and industry associations build new training centres, or upgrade and convert existing facilities into new training centres with state-of-the-art equipment and technology. The new capital stream will be open to a wide range of applicants in in-demand industries and support facility expansions, renovations, repairs and retrofits, and new building construction. |
46. Undertake multi-stakeholder education program to promote skilled trades. | Fully implemented | Ontario has invested more than $1 billion in the skilled trades over three years, along with the launch of Skilled Trades Ontario, as part of its strategy to attract more people into the trades. Recently, Ontario announced it is expanding its successful skilled trades career fairs called Level Up!, now in its second year, to even more cities with more exhibitors and twice as many participating students. This is a series of dynamic, multi-day career fairs highlighting the 144 skilled trades, from electricians to boilermakers. Over 25,000 students in grades 7 to 12, as well as parents and jobseekers, will have the opportunity to learn about these trades through interactive exhibitions and hands-on activities while hearing directly from tradespeople and local employers. A new mandatory high school graduation requirement will ensure all students take at least one grade 9 or 10 technological education credit starting with students entering grade 9 in September 2024. This will help better prepare students across the province for the jobs of tomorrow. Ontario is investing through the Apprenticeship Capital Grant program, helping 66 training institutions across Ontario upgrade their training equipment and existing facilities that support hands-on learning for students and apprentices. |
47. Recommend that the federal and provincial government prioritize skilled trades and adjust the immigration points system to strongly favour needed trades and expedite immigration status for these workers, and encourage the federal government to increase from 9,000 to 20,000 the number of immigrants admitted through Ontario’s program. | Fully implemented | The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) plans to use 40% of its 16,000 allocation in 2023 to nominate individuals in the skilled trades and have made changes to the Expression of Interest scoring system to award more points to candidates in priority occupations/sectors. In 2022, Ontario sought and received a significant increase to its Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) allocation from 9,750 in 2022 to 16,500 in 2023, which will increase to over 18,000 by 2025. The federal government is also prioritizing selection of some skilled trades occupations through category-based selection and Ontario will encourage the targeting of additional occupations through federal immigration selection programs. |
52. Resume reporting on housing data and require consistent municipal reporting, enforcing compliance as a requirement for accessing programs under the Ontario Housing Delivery Fund. | Implemented with amendments | Through the Municipal Planning Data Reporting Regulation (O. Reg 73/23), which was filed April 6, 2023, 29 large and fast growing municipalities are now required to provide the ministry with planning application data on a regular basis. The Building Faster Fund provides additional funds to municipalities that meet or exceed provincial housing targets by 2031. Ontario is working with municipal partners on reporting data and tracking progress, and will launch an online tracker tool once reporting processes are finalized. |
55. Commit to evaluate these recommendations for the next three years with public reporting on progress. | Fully implemented | Ontario committed to public reporting through this tracker on Sept 7, 2023. |
Appendix B1. Call upon the federal government to provide equitable affordable housing funding to Ontario. | Fully implemented | Ontario continues to advocate for municipalities and Ontarians to receive their fair share of funding from the federal government. These additional revenues would flow to municipal service providers to ensure Ontarians can get the housing they need. |