Published plans and annual reports 2020-2021: Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Ministry Overview

COVID Response

The novel coronavirus (COVID‑19) outbreak is presenting unprecedented challenges to people and governnts around the globe. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is responding by working across ministries, with all other levels of government, and locally to help address a broad range of urgent and longer term needs. Early steps are highlighted throughout the ministry’s published plan, which include an injection of funding for service managers and Indigenous housing providers, flexibility to enable virtual council and committee meetings, changes to allow 24/7 delivery of goods, and encouraging landlords to temporarily halt evictions. The ministry is continuing to do its part to respond to the outbreak and will play a key role as the focus shifts to reopening and recovery aligned with its vision and mandate outlined below.

Ministry Vision

Working with local governments and partners across Ontario to build safe, strong and sustainable urban and rural communities with dynamic local economies, a high quality of life for residents, and homes that meet people’s diverse needs.

The ministry will make government smarter by supporting municipalities so they have the resources they need to modernize and create efficiencies through targeted supports like the Audit and Accountability Fund and the Municipal Modernization Program, and continue leading efforts to reduce the reporting burden municipalities face so they can focus on what matters most.

The ministry will support the drive to create a more competitive business environment and build healthier and safer communities by strengthening Ontario’s land use planning system through an updated Provincial Policy Statement and A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. This will help protect the environment and public safety; reduce barriers and costs to development to increase housing supply and mix; support economic growth and help build stronger urban, rural, northern and Indigenous communities.

The ministry will help make life more affordable by providing more homes and more choice through Ontario’s housing supply action plan, including encouraging a safe and fair rental housing system for both tenants and landlords that solves disputes more quickly and easily; and streamlining Ontario's planning system to simplify and reduce regulatory barriers to unlock housing supply and reflect market choice.

For Ontario families who live in community housing, our Community Housing Renewal Strategy is helping to sustain, repair and grow our community housing system so it supports the people who need it most, today and in the future. The ministry’s proposed changes will help grow community housing supply, improve the community housing access system and encourage innovative, business-like approaches.

The ministry will also help create a more competitive business environment through transformation initiatives that cut red tape and stimulate jobs and investment, including streamlining development approvals, implementing Community Benefits Charges to support certainty and predictability in the development process, reducing trade barriers by increasing cross-country harmonization with National Codes without compromising the high standards of Ontario’s Building Code; and implementing tools like Minister’s Zoning Orders and Provincially Significant Employment Zones that promote economic development, job creation and investment.

Mandate

The goals of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing are to provide leadership to help ensure communities are served by strong, efficient local governments and that all Ontarians have access to housing that meets their needs. To achieve this, the ministry: coordinates and implements Ontario government policies and programs that impact municipalities; manages the provincial-municipal relationship with municipal stakeholders including the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the City of Toronto as well as provincial-business relationships with key growth partners; and supports Ontario’s federal-provincial-municipal relationships.

The ministry also develops and administers policies and programs in support of: municipal administration, governance and finance; infrastructure improvement; municipal and provincial land use planning; growth management; building regulation; community and market housing, which includes residential tenancy regulation and homelessness prevention and housing programs; and administers disaster/emergency financial assistance to eligible communities and individuals.

Ministry Programs

The ministry is responsible for the following programs:

Growth Planning

This program provides a strategic, long-range, comprehensive and integrated approach to manage growth and build prosperous and sustainable complete communities.

In 2020-21, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the Growth Planning program:

• continue leading growth management policy work for the Growth Plan. This includes releasing a variety of guidance resources to enable its effective implementation.
• lead strategic regional and province-wide growth management projects to further provincial goals such as economic development, infrastructure planning and job creation
• lead data collection and analysis to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current status of growth management issues (e.g. housing supply)
• lead change management and stakeholder engagement activities to support implementation of growth management policies and programs
• advance and uphold provincial interests and support municipal implementation of A Place to Grow through a coordinated inter-ministry one-window planning for provincial decision-making
• lead implementation matters to make sure municipalities have the information and tools they need to implement the Growth Plan, and to bring their official plans into conformity quickly, with minimal disruption, and in ways that simplify growth management processes
• lead the Growth Plan transition regulation to identify specific planning matters that would be exempted from the requirements to conform with some or all of the policies in the new Growth Plan
• complete the land needs assessment methodology update to align with the policies in A Place to Grow that were released in 2019, and to ensure municipal conformity and planning processes can continue to proceed in a timely manner with minimal disruption
• complete the review of the population and employment forecasts in A Place to Grow. These forecasts help municipalities build infrastructure to grow services and manage growth by avoiding over/under designating land for development
• protect employment areas that are crucial to the region’s economy, and ensure they are not re-designated without provincial oversight, through ministry identified provincially significant employment zones
• convene stakeholders from across Ontario to discuss future approaches, develop solutions, inform implementation, raise awareness and create conditions for success in growth management

Land Use Planning

This program is responsible for the development, monitoring and administration of land use planning systems in Ontario. The provincial land use planning framework has evolved significantly over time and is regularly subject to policy reviews to ensure that it reflects current trends for managing growth and protecting resources. The framework includes the Planning Act, the Provincial Policy Statement and geographic-specific regulatory policies such as: A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the Greenbelt Plan, the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, and the Parkway Belt West Plan (among others).

The land use planning system advances and upholds provincial interests through a policy-led system largely implemented by municipalities, as well as the ministry’s one-window provincial land use planning approvals service. The ministry provides a variety of mandatory and discretionary tools to support municipal implementation of the provincial land use planning framework at a local level.

In 2020-21, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the Land Use Planning program:

• continue to review the land use planning framework to consider enhancements that are responsive to government priorities, including streamlining development approvals and increasing housing supply
• continue to protect the Greenbelt for future generations through oversight of related legislation and regulations, the Greenbelt Plan and the Greenbelt Council
• advance and uphold provincial interests and support municipal implementation of land use planning through a variety of legislative tools, and a coordinated inter-ministry one-window planning approach for provincial decisions
• continue review of the land use development approvals process to identify and propose streamlining improvements to help bring housing and business investments online faster
• provide targeted training and technical support for municipal planning staff as well as outreach sessions for stakeholders on the new Provincial Policy Statement

Building Regulation

This program establishes the policies, technical supports and regulatory system governing the construction, renovation, changes of use and demolition of buildings through administration of the Building Code Act and the Building Code regulation.

In 2020-21, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the Building Regulation program:

• enhance the alignment of the technical requirements in Ontario’s Building Code with the technical requirements in the National Construction Codes
• participate in the Federal Provincial Territorial work to transform the National Construction Codes to improve the timely adoption of construction codes
• implement timely adoption with the National Construction Codes to meet the commitments made in the reconciliation agreement under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement
• develop guidance materials and other supports to strengthen the consistent implementation of Ontario’s Building Code in priority areas such as housing affordability
• continue to engage key stakeholder organizations on transforming and modernizing building regulatory services and their delivery
• the program also delivers building regulatory services, including the qualification and registration of building practitioners and oversees training provided to practitioners by the college sector

Disaster Recovery Financial Assistance

This program delivers disaster recovery and mitigation transfer payment programs, manages the ministry’s legislated emergency management program and represents Ontario’s interests in discussions on disaster recovery and mitigation funding with federal, provincial and territorial counterparts.

In 2020-21, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the Disaster Recovery Financial Assistance program:

• respond to emergencies and disasters and deliver the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians and Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance programs to help people and municipalities recover after a natural disaster
• implement improvements to the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians program to increase efficiency of activation and payment processes and clarify eligibility for small business applicants
• review the outcomes of the ‘Build Back Better’ pilot project to determine whether integrating this type of program into Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance offers good value for money
• engage in federal/provincial/territorial discussions to support federal commitments to create a new low-cost national flood insurance program to protect homeowners at high risk of flooding and to support the development of a national action plan to assist homeowners at highest risk of repeat flooding with potential relocation

Municipal Finance and Governance

This program supports local governments so that local service delivery and infrastructure is effective and has a positive impact on the day-to-day lives of the people of Ontario.

Through this program, the ministry provides a policy and legislative framework to promote and build municipal capacity. This program also enables municipal partners to create prosperous and financially sustainable communities, so they are able to invest in infrastructure and deliver services. The ministry works directly with municipalities, municipal associations and other ministries on initiatives that impact municipalities to ensure a strong relationship between the province and municipalities as well as to ensure the municipal perspective and impacts are understood and inform the province’s work.

COVID-19 Response

The ministry will continue to support municipalities and stakeholders in response to COVID‑19. Actions can be found in the Part I Appendix (2019-20 Annual Report) and the Part II Appendix (Approvals between March 25, 2020 and tabling of the 2020-21 Expenditure Estimates).

In 2020-21, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the Municipal Finance and Governance program:

• support More Homes, More Choice: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan with changes to the Development Charges Act, Planning Act and Building Code Act to implement the community benefits charge framework which is designed to assist in the development of new housing supply and business investment
• continue leading the government-wide effort to reduce the municipal reporting burden and repeal outdated legislation such as the Statute Labour Act
• encourage consultation and engagement between other ministries and the municipal sector to ensure there is a strong relationship between the province and municipalities
  • work with and support other ministries by identifying municipal considerations as they develop and deliver their policies and programs. Examples of such initiatives include the legalization of cannabis in Canada and its implications for municipalities
• implement the Municipal Modernization Program and the Audit and Accountability Fund to help municipalities become more efficient and reduce expenditure growth

Community Housing

This program is provided by not-for-profit, co-operative and municipal housing providers. Community housing providers typically offer rental housing with rents set as “affordable” (at a set percentage below average market rents), rent-geared-to-income or at the lower end of the market.

In 2020-21, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the Community Housing program:

• implement a multi-year Community Housing Renewal Strategy to stabilize, repair and grow Ontario’s Community Housing sector
• design a people-centred outcome-based performance measurement and evaluation framework for the Community Housing Renewal Strategy
• continue to deliver existing programs that support community housing, including:
  • Strong Communities Rent Supplement Program, which supports approximately 6,500 households annually
  • Ontario Priority Housing Initiative and Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative by working with service managers and Indigenous Program Administrators. These initiatives help build, create, and renovate community housing, provide homeownership opportunities, and improve housing affordability
  • Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit portable housing benefit by working with service managers. The benefit can be accessed by survivors of domestic abuse and survivors of human trafficking as well as persons experiencing or at risk of homelessness, Indigenous persons, seniors, and people with disabilities, as well as households living in community housing
• implement the Rural and Urban Indigenous Housing Program, the successor to the Rural and Native Housing program, delivered by Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services
• continue to implement recommendations of the Agency Review Task Force as they relate to the Ontario Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Homelessness

This program provides a flexible array of services and supports to help the homeless – and those at risk of homelessness – to become stably housed or avoid becoming homeless in the first place. It works across government to address the causes of homelessness.

COVID-19 Response

• The ministry is working with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to deliver the new $200 million Social Services Relief Fund (SSRF) program.
  • The SSRF includes $148 million in block funding for service managers (i.e., Consolidated Municipal Service Managers and District Social Services Administration Boards) and Indigenous Program Administrators to enhance a range of services and supports for vulnerable Ontarians during the COVID‑19 outbreak.
  • This funding is administered by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. It will allow communities to expand a wide range of services and supports for vulnerable populations, including those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. For example, funding could be used to:
    • support service providers, such as emergency shelters, food banks, charities and non-profits;
    • expand existing housing stability initiatives operated by service managers, including rent banks;
    • secure goods and services, such as food, transportation, medical supplies, or hotel rooms; or
    • fund administration needs, including staffing.
• To ensure this investment is delivered as quickly as possible and to provide maximum flexibility to respond to varying local needs across the province, the ministry’s portion of funding under the SSRF is being provided to service managers through the existing Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative and to Indigenous Program Administrators through the existing Indigenous Supportive Housing Program.

In 2020-21, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the Homelessness program:

• continue to help service managers prevent and address homelessness in their communities through the delivery of key ministry programs, including:
  • Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative – Annual provincial homelessness funding that gives service managers flexibility to determine how best to help people who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, in their communities based on local needs and priorities. The province contributes the greatest share of homelessness funding (compared to federal or municipal governments).
  • Supportive Housing Investments:
    • Home for Good – Provincial housing assistance and support services to help people experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness. Priority populations served include youth, Indigenous people, people experiencing chronic homelessness, and those transitioning from provincial institutions such as correctional facilities and hospitals.
    • Indigenous Supportive Housing Program – Specifically designed to be administered by Indigenous organizations, this program helps Indigenous people experiencing homelessness to access housing assistance and supports to become stably housed.
• continue to engage key stakeholders on supportive housing, including through regional engagement sessions (the timing and approach to engagement will be determined based on the impact of COVID‑19), to identify opportunities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Ontario’s supportive housing programs so that current resources can be used to maximize their impact on people
  • The ministry will continue to work with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to support this stakeholder engagement and is taking a whole of government approach to improving supportive housing in Ontario.
• provide housing and support for homeless, low- and moderate-income people living with mental health and addictions challenges through the Mental Health and Addictions Plan
• support service managers who are implementing “by-name” lists to provide real-time data about people experiencing homelessness in their communities and their needs. By-name lists help to prioritize and connect people to housing services and supports in their area and provide a foundation for creating coordinated access to services and track local homelessness and changes over time
  • The ministry will introduce a by-name list approach across Ontario beginning in 2021. The ministry will collaborate with stakeholders to identify effective techniques to support implementation.

Market Housing

This program develops policies, programs and initiatives to support the availability of a wide mix of market rental and ownership housing. It provides leadership and works across government to support the development of evidence-based market housing policy and programs.

The program also sets the legislative and policy framework for landlords and tenants through the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA), which provides consumer protection provisions and processes for resolving certain types of disputes. The ministry provides investigation and enforcement services for landlords and tenants through the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit.

The RTA also establishes the Landlord and Tenant Board as an independent tribunal with authority to adjudicate RTA related disputes under the purview of the Ministry of the Attorney General.

COVID-19 Response

The ministry will continue supporting landlords and tenants with respect to rental housing laws and encouraging landlords to be as flexible as possible in response to COVID‑19. Actions can also be found in the Part I Appendix (2019-20 Annual Report) and the Part II Appendix (Approvals between March 25, 2020 and tabling of the 2020-21 Expenditure Estimates).

In 2020-21, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the Market Housing program:

• support ongoing implementation and monitoring of More Homes, More Choice: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan (HSAP) in collaboration with other ministries, and lead exploration and development of next steps to increase housing supply and affordability
• collaborate with partner ministries to leverage the value of surplus provincial lands for priority housing outcomes (e.g., more market and affordable housing)
• continue providing policy and legislative oversight of the RTA, including to:
  • implement changes to the Act, as part of HSAP, to further promote creation of rental housing, while protecting tenants
  • update the Standard Form of Lease to reflect recent changes to the RTA
  • calculate and publish the 2021 rent increase guideline
  • conduct a statutory review of the rent increase guideline
  • facilitate public education of no-fault evictions processes under the RTA to promote awareness and compliance with legislative provisions and enhance related enforcement processes
• provide leadership, work with other ministries and participate in working groups across the government to conduct housing market research and analysis, and coordinate and support the development of evidence-based market housing policy and program developments

2020-21 Strategic Plan

The ministry is delivering on an ambitious mandate that will: deliver better public services at the provincial, regional and municipal levels of government; help make life more affordable by increasing the supply of housing; and help make Ontario open for business and open for jobs by getting shovels in the ground faster for development projects across the province. The ministry will do this while making fiscally responsible decisions that help the government, including municipalities, modernize and work smarter. And, the ministry will support the government’s efforts to protect the health and well-being of all Ontarians during the COVID‑19 outbreak.

Housing and Homelessness

The ministry is implementing the More Homes, More Choice Action Plan to address barriers and encourage innovation to increase the supply and mix of housing. It includes policy and program reforms to streamline the development approvals process; making it easier to develop the right mix of housing where it is needed; lowering the costs of development and making it easier to create and operate rental housing. As part of these reforms, the government is making changes to the Development Charges Act, Planning Act and Building Code Act to implement the community benefits charge framework which is designed to assist in the development of new housing supply and business investment. Legislation has also been introduced to update the Residential Tenancies Act to encourage a safe and fair rental housing system for both tenants and landlords that solves disputes more quickly and easily; and the ministry is collaborating with partner ministries to leverage the value of surplus provincial lands for priority housing outcomes.

Through the Community Housing program, the ministry develops and manages legislative, regulatory and policy approaches and works with municipal service managers and other partners to support affordable housing options for households who have difficulty finding suitable housing options in the private market. Over the next decade, there is a risk of losing over 100,000 units of the province’s existing affordable community housing supply due to the ending of providers’ original operating obligations and to the condition of our aging social housing stock. The ministry is implementing a multi-year Community Housing Renewal Strategy to stabilize, repair and grow Ontario’s Community Housing sector. It will also continue to deliver existing programs, such as the Ontario Priority Housing Initiative that support community housing and the people who live there.

The ministry will continue to help local service managers with a flexible array of services and supports to assist the homeless – and those at risk of homelessness – to become stably housed or avoid becoming homeless in the first place. This includes funding through the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative, Home for Good and Indigenous Supportive Housing programs.

The ministry also provides housing and support for homeless and low- and moderate-income people through the Mental Health and Addictions Plan, Strong Communities Rent Supplement Program and the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit.

Efficient and Effective Government

The ministry will make government smarter by supporting municipalities so that they have the resources they need to modernize and create efficiencies through targeted supports like the Audit and Accountability Fund and the Municipal Modernization Program.

Building on the previous $200 million investment into 405 smaller and rural municipalities, the government renewed the Municipal Modernization Program – investing up to an additional $125 million through 2022-23 to foster increased municipal efficiency and effectiveness. Examples could include service delivery reviews, development of shared services agreements, IT solutions, capital investments or other projects.

Municipalities have been clear that the province asks them for too many unnecessary and duplicative reports. Through the Municipal Finance and Governance program, the ministry is leading cross-government efforts to reduce the reporting burden on municipalities and repeal outdated legislation, so they can focus on what matters most – providing great services for their residents.

The ministry will review the land use development approvals process to identify and propose improvements to help bring housing and business investments online faster. Through our Growth Planning program, the ministry will provide a strategic, long-range and integrated approach to manage growth and build prosperous and sustainable complete communities.

Nothing is more important than protecting the health and safety of Ontarians. Since first learning of COVID‑19 Ontario has taken decisive steps to help stop the spread of the virus. The ministry has also worked closely with municipal partners to support them with managing the impact of COVID‑19 on their operations. The ministry passed legislation to permit municipalities to fully conduct Council electronically and provided $148 million to support local service managers and Indigenous housing providers with homeless shelter capacity, purchasing personal protective equipment and funding administrative needs, including staffing. The ministry will continue to work with municipalities on their immediate and longer-term needs.

Note: Numbers may not add due to rounding.

Detailed Financial Information

Chart 1: Investment by Vote 2020-21

Agencies, Boards and Commissions (ABCs)

There are five provincial agencies that currently report to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (note: the Building Code Conservation Advisory Council was dissolved in December 2019):

Building Code Commission

The Building Code Commission (BCC) is an adjudicative agency that resolves disputes on the technical requirements of the Ontario Building Code. All administrative and technical support to the Commission is provided by ministry staff. The operating expenses for this commission are paid out of the Municipal Services and Building Regulation (Vote 1902).

Building Code Conservation Advisory Council (Dissolved)

The approval of the Better for People, Smarter for Business Act, on December 10, 2019 resulted in the dissolution of the Building Code Conservation Advisory Council (BCCAC) in alignment with the province’s Agency Review Task Force recommendations.

The BCCAC was an advisory agency that provided strategic advice to the Minister on energy and water conservation issues related to the Building Code and the Building Code Act. Council members were non-remunerated appointees. All administrative support to the Council was provided by ministry staff. The operating expenses of the Advisory Council were paid out of the Municipal Services and Building Regulation (Vote 1902).

Note: The Council had no meetings between 2018 and its dissolution in December 2019.

Building Materials Evaluation Commission

The Building Materials Evaluation Commission (BMEC) is a regulatory agency that evaluates and authorizes innovative building materials, systems or designs where no criteria are set out in the Ontario Building Code. All administrative and technical support to the Commission is provided by ministry staff. Operating expenses for the commission are paid out of the Municipal Services and Building Regulation (Vote 1902).

Building Materials Evaluation Commission Financial Data ($)

Greenbelt Council

The Greenbelt Council is an advisory agency, required under the Greenbelt Act, 2005, which provides the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing with advice on the Greenbelt. Administrative support to the Council is provided by ministry staff and a consulting assignment for a part-time Executive Coordinator. Effective March 2018, members are remunerated appointees. Operating expenses of the Greenbelt Council are paid out of the Local Government and Planning Policy (Vote 1903).

The mandate and membership of the Greenbelt Council was expanded, effective March 2018, to include providing advice to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing on land use planning matters within and adjacent to the area defined as the Greenbelt Plan. This includes the implementation of A Place to Grow and the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, including performance measures, the 10-year review, land use planning and public education and outreach, in order to ensure the objectives of the Greenbelt Plan are met.

Toronto Islands Residential Community Trust Corporation

The Toronto Islands Residential Community Trust Corporation (the “Trust”) is designated as a board-governed provincial agency under the Agencies and Appointments Directive. The Trust manages the sale of houses and associated land leases of approximately 262 properties on provincially owned lands, and the maintenance and use of six community buildings for the benefit of the Toronto Islands residents and the public. The provincially owned lands are on Ward’s and Algonquin Islands (part of the Toronto Islands).

The Trust does not receive any funding from the province and is self-sustaining through revenue generated from an annual levy charged to each Island leaseholder, rental income on the community buildings and administrative fees. The Trust’s accounts are separate from those of the ministry and the province. The Trust is responsible for managing its own financial matters, including the completion of an annual financial audit. The audited financial statement is published with its annual report. The members of the Trust’s Board of Directors are not remunerated for their service to the Trust.

Ontario Mortgage and Housing Corporation

The Ontario Mortgage and Housing Corporation (OMHC) is an operational enterprise agency responsible for: servicing public housing debt related to the former public housing portfolio; indemnifying the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) against mortgage defaults under certain non-profit social housing programs; administering loans and leases for social housing programs; administering legacy marketable and forgivable mortgages under previous housing programs; administering mortgages and leases and receiving payments collected by CMHC from homeowners; administering the homeownership component of the Affordable Housing Program and its revolving loan fund; administering loans for a student residence program; and addressing matters pertaining to previously-owned public housing properties, including any potential environmental liability issues.

OMHC financials are reflected under the Housing Program – Community and Market Housing (Vote 1904-02) and Housing Program – Community and Market Housing Capital (Vote 1904-04). The Corporation’s financial statements are audited by the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario and are published as part of its annual report, and as part of the public accounts of the province. OMHC Board members are senior civil servants at the ministry and are not remunerated for their service to the Corporation. Administrative support to OMHC is provided by the ministry.

In response to a recommendation of the Agency Review Task Force contained in the 2019 Ontario Budget, Protecting What Matters Most, OMHC will be dissolved in 2020-21 and the activities and obligations of the agency will be taken on as a ministry function. The change will provide more effective and efficient use of ministry resources while retaining financial accountability and service delivery to the public.

Ministry Organization Chart

This is a text version of an organizational chart for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing as of 30 April 2020. The chart shows the hierarchical structure of the organization with the top level assigned to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

• Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark
  • Parliamentary Assistant, Housing Parm Gill
  • Parliamentary Assistant, Municipal Affairs Jim McDonnell
  • List of Council, Commission and Corporations
  • Ontario Mortgage & Housing Corporation
  • Building Code Commission
  • Building Materials Evaluation Commission
  • Toronto Islands Residential Community Trust Corporation
  • Greenbelt Council
• Deputy Minister Kate Manson-Smith
  • Executive Assistant
  • Chelsea Hellings (A)
  • Municipal Services Division
    Hannah Evans, ADM
    • Municipal Services Offi­ce Central Region
      Aly Alibhai, Regional Director
    • Municipal Services O­ffice Western Region
      Ian Kerr, Regional Director
    • Municipal Services O­ffice Northern Region
      Bridget Schulte-Hostedde, Regional Director
    • Municipal Services O­ffice Eastern Region
      Brandon Forrest, Regional Director (A)
    • Municipal Programs and Education Branch
      Dawn Palin-Rokosh, Director
    • Building and Development Branch
      Mansoor Mahmood, Director (A)
    • Building Services Transformation, Rory Burke, Director (A)
  • Local Government and Planning Policy Division
    Jonathan Lebi, ADM
    • Municipal Finance Policy Branch
      Caspar Hall, Director
    • Intergovernmental Relations and Partnerships Branch
      Ewa Downarowicz, Director
    • Local Government Policy Branch
      Tanzeel Merchant, Director
    • Provincial Planning Policy Branch, Sean Fraser, Director (A)
  • Business Management Division
    Joanne Davies, CAO/ADM
    • Corporate Services Branch
      Jason Arandjelovic, Director (A)
    • Controllership and Financial Planning Branch
      Amanda Lui, Director (A)
    • Human Resources Strategies Branch
      Suzana Ristich, Director
    • Community Services Audit Service Team
      Aliza Premji, Director^{footnote 16[16]}(A)
  • Housing Division
    Joshua Paul, ADM
    • Community Housing Policy Branch
      Peter Kiatipis, Director
    • Housing Programs Branch
      Jim Adams, Director
    • Market Housing Policy Branch, Darren Cooney, Director (A)
  • Communications Branch
    Linda Hawke, Director^{footnote 17[17]}
  • Legal Services Branch
    Jeff Schelling, Director^{footnote 18[18]}
  • Marcia Taggart, Deputy Director
  • Ontario Growth Secretariat
    Cordelia Clarke Julien, ADM
    • Growth Management Program Policy, Planning, Analysis and Delivery Branch
      Mirrun Zaveri, Director (A)
    • Growth Management Strategic Policy, Innovation and Partnerships Branch
      Sandra Bickford, Director (A)
  • Community Services I&IT Cluster
    Soussan Tabari, CIO/ADM^{footnote 19[19]}
    • Strategic Planning and Business Relationship Management
      Aleli Gulak, Director (A)
    • Case and Grant Management Solutions
      Sanaul Haque, Director
    • Data Collection and Decision Support Solutions
      Carm Scarfo, Director
    • iACCESS Solutions
      Sanjay Madan, Director

Appendix: 2019-20 Annual Report

Ministry’s Achievements in 2019-20

Land Use Planning

Planning Act, Provincial Policy Statement, and Development Charges Consultations

The ministry held sector-specific consultation sessions in early 2019 on the Planning Act, Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) and the Development Charges Act. Input from the consultation informed More Homes, More Choice: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan. The plan included strategic changes to the Planning Act, which increase housing supply, reduce regulatory burdens, support the economy and streamline development approvals. New Planning Act regulations that implement these changes to the land use planning system came into effect on September 3, 2019.

The ministry undertook a 90-day public consultation on the PPS (July-October). Incorporating important feedback from municipalities, stakeholders and Indigenous communities, the new PPS was released in February 28, 2020 and came into effect on May 1, 2020.

The PPS, 2020 is part of the government’s plan to build healthier, safer communities, make life more affordable and create a more competitive business environment. It does this while continuing to protect the environment, including the Greenbelt for future generations. The PPS, 2020 has new policies across five themes:

1. Increasing Housing Supply and Mix
2. Protecting the Environment and Public Safety
3. Reducing Barriers and Costs
4. Supporting Rural, Northern and Indigenous Communities
5. Supporting Certainty and Economic Growth

Growth Planning

A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2019

A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2019 was introduced as part of the More Homes, More Choice: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan in May 2019. The Growth Plan addresses the needs of the Greater Golden Horseshoe’s growing population, diversity, people and its local priorities. The Growth Plan also aims to increase housing supply at a faster rate, attract new investments and jobs, maximize transit investments, and protect important environmental, employment and agricultural assets.

• A Place to Grow includes revised and new polices that:
  • Create a one-time window to allow municipalities to undertake employment area conversions prior to their next municipal comprehensive review to modernize designations, subject to criteria in the plan. This includes a requirement to maintain a significant number of jobs on those lands.
  • Specify the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing can identify provincially significant employment zones where employment areas can only be converted with provincial approval.
  • Allow municipalities to delineate larger major transit station areas and set targets for them in advance of municipal comprehensive review, through the Protected Major Transit Station Area tool under the Planning Act.
  • Allow responsible boundary expansions and provide municipalities the ability to undertake settlement area boundary expansions that are no larger than 40 hectares outside a municipal comprehensive review.
  • Provide direction on locating and preserving employment areas for manufacturing, warehousing, etc. adjacent to major goods movement facilities and corridors.
  • Provide direction on buffering around industrial/manufacturing uses to protect these uses against encroachment.
  • Provide flexibility to municipalities to set density targets for each employment area and remove the requirement for an employment strategy.
• Began review for the land needs assessment methodology to identify areas of the methodology that require updating to align with the Growth Plan, developed proposed approaches to the updates, obtained stakeholder feedback about the proposed approaches, and worked to prepare specific proposed revisions to methodology.
• Initiated review of the population and employment forecasts and developed terms of reference for the work, procured consulting assistance, convened meetings of an advisory group and a technical stakeholder group to seek feedback on assumptions and approaches to updating the forecasts.

Provincially Significant Employment Zones

To ensure employment areas that are crucial to the region’s economy are not re-designated without provincial oversight, the ministry identified provincially significant employment zones. The ministry has identified 31 provincially significant employment zones in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

Transition Regulation Modifications

As part of consultations held earlier in 2019, the ministry sought feedback on a proposal to modify the transitional regulation to address specific planning matters. Based on the ministry’s review of feedback received on that proposal, on September 6, 2019, the ministry modified 11 matters under Ontario Regulation 311/06 (Transitional Matters – Growth Plans) under the Places to Grow Act, 2005, to respond to municipal requests to help address specific local planning and align with A Place to Grow.

Stakeholder Forums/Consultations

The ministry held a series of workshops on updating the Land Needs Assessment Methodology with a wide range of stakeholders in October 2019. This was followed by technical discussions with an advisory group composed of experts in land needs assessment between December 2019 - February 2020.

In February and March 2019, the ministry conducted a series of consultation sessions with an advisory group and a technical group to respond to the Growth Plan requirement to review the forecasts at least every five years, in consultation with municipalities. Work is underway to develop and implement an approach to updating the growth forecasts that takes into consideration the ideas from these consultation sessions.

The ministry worked with municipalities throughout the Greater Golden Horseshoe and various sectors that have made requests for a reconsideration of lands currently in or outside of provincially significant employment zones. As part of this work, the ministry reviewed approximately 600 submissions.

Indigenous Partnership Building

The ministry communicated in-person with Indigenous communities/organizations that have treaty or traditional territory within the Greater Golden Horseshoe to discuss the proposed changes and provide input to the Growth Plan.

Building Regulation

Harmonization of Construction Codes

The Building Code was amended on May 2,  2019 to increase alignment with the technical requirements in the 2015 National Construction Codes in the areas of:

• fire safety measures, including fire prevention and early detection and warning systems
• structural sufficiency of buildings to withstand external forces and improve their resilience
• public health and safety requirements
• accessibility requirements tor barrier free access

The ministry contributed to the Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table, under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, drafting of a cross-country agreement to increase the ongoing harmonization of provincial construction codes with national construction codes.

The ministry published, on the ministry website, technical bulletins, study guides for Building Code examinations, webinars and other material to help building code users implement the May 2019 amendments to the Building Code. The ministry also held six training webinars between November and December attended by over 300 building code practitioners.

The ministry continues to work with its provincial, territorial and national counterparts on further implementation of the National Codes harmonization initiative.

Building Code Act Amendments

To reduce red tape, the Building Code Act, was amended on December 10, 2019 to modernize the delivery of orders and notices by allowing building officials to use email to deliver required notices and orders.

Supporting More Homes, More Choice: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan (HSAP)

The ministry developed and published guidelines, such as “Adding a Second Unit to an Existing House” (September 2019), “Build or Buy a Tiny House” and “Co-owning a Home” (December 2019) to support and assist the implementation and delivery of the government’s housing supply action plan. To help speed up the construction of new housing and building projects, in Fall 2019 the ministry conducted broad public consultation on Transforming and Modernizing the Delivery of Ontario’s Building Code Services, including:

• The release of a discussion paper and survey on the Environmental and Regulatory Registries for a period of 62 days.
• Two informational webinars.
• Four regional sessions in Belleville, North Bay, Chatham-Kent and Vaughan.
• Technical stakeholder meetings with key stakeholder groups.

Disaster Recovery Financial Assistance

Activations of Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians Program

Spring 2019 saw unprecedented flooding across the province caused by heavy rainfall compounded by a late thaw, preventing the infiltration of rain and snowmelt run-off. The ministry activated the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians program in nine areas (Renfrew County, Kawartha Lakes, along the Ottawa River, Muskoka District, Parry Sound District, Hastings County, Lanark County, French River, and Nipissing District).

A total of 525 applications were received for 2019 spring flooding, of which more than 430 were closed or received an interim payment in 2019-20. There are more cases of severe damage than in previous years, with many cases of structural damage. About 10 per cent of applicants are expected to be eligible for payments greater than $100,000.

Activation of Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance Program

The Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance program received 27 applications arising from 2019 spring flooding from the following municipalities:

• Addington Highlands; Adjala-Tosorontio; Admaston/Bromley; Beckwith; Bracebridge; Clarence Rockland; Gillies; Greater Madawaska; Hastings Highlands; Horton; Huntsville; Jocelyn; Johnson; Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards; Laurentian Valley; Lincoln; MacDonald, Meredith, Aberdeen Additional; Mattawa; McMurrich/Monteith; McNab/Braeside; Muskoka Lakes; North Algona Wilberforce; North Frontenac; Pelee; Petawawa; Plummer Additional; and Whitewater Region.

Provincial funding of up to $16 million was made available to the municipalities found eligible under the program. This will reimburse the municipalities for response and recovery costs, such as sandbagging, sand disposal, and repairs to municipal infrastructure such as roads, boat docks, bridges and culverts. The funding will help to return these communities to a safe condition after they were affected by damaging floods.

A portion of this funding will also be used to help municipalities “Build Back Better” when repairing damaged infrastructure, so that it will be more resilient in the event of future extreme weather events, as part of a one-time $1 million funding incentive piloted under the program for municipalities affected by 2019 spring flooding.

Financial Assistance under the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians Program

The Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians program helps homeowners, tenants, small owner-operated businesses and farms, and not-for-profit organizations get back on their feet after a natural disaster. The program helps eligible applicants cover emergency expenses, return their homes to a safe and habitable condition and get small businesses up and running again.

In 2019-20, the ministry administered applications from 21 disaster events (9 of which were activated in 2019-20). In total, the ministry completed the review and processing of over 350 applications and paid out approximately $18.2 million to eligible applicants.

National Disaster Mitigation Program

Under the National Disaster Mitigation Program, the federal government provided funding to provinces and territories for eligible flood mapping and flood mitigation projects. The ministry administered the program in Ontario. The ministry solicited proposals from municipalities, conservation authorities and other applicants and flowed payments on behalf of the federal government to support approved projects.

The National Disaster Mitigation Program sunsetted on March 31, 2020. Through this program, the ministry administered $40 million in federal funding for 189 flood mapping and flood mitigation projects in Ontario. 

Ministry Emergency Management Program

Under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, all ministries are required to maintain an emergency management program to ensure the Ontario government is ready to respond when emergencies and disasters occur. The ministry maintains a strong program, focused on the ministry’s Order-in-Council responsibility to plan for emergencies that require coordination of extraordinary emergency expenses, including provision of disaster financial assistance.

In 2019-20, the ministry updated its Emergency Response Plan, undertook training and exercises for its Ministry Action Group responsible for directing the ministry’s response during emergencies, and implemented a range of public education activities. The ministry’s program for the 2019 calendar year was assessed as fully compliant with all requirements.

Municipal Finance and Governance

Repealed the Statute Labour Act

By repealing the outdated Statute Labour Act, the ministry helped to reduce municipal burdens and allow communities relying on this legacy framework to modernize their road maintenance management. The Statute Labour Act dates back to 1840 and is now seldom used. The Act provided a way of raising resources to support the maintenance of local roads by requiring unpaid labour or commuted payments from property owners. It is used in some unincorporated communities outside of municipalities. Today there are modern, tax-based alternatives to fund public works, such as local roads boards under the Local Roads Boards Act. The Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing are assisting any remaining local areas to transition to a more modern approach to road maintenance.

Strengthened Relationship with Municipalities

In 2019-20, the ministry implemented two new programs, the Audit and Accountability Fund and the Municipal Modernization Program, to help municipalities find efficiencies, reduce costs and improve services. These programs were welcomed by municipalities, with 100 per cent of eligible municipalities working with the province through the first round of the Audit and Accountability Fund and 334 applications received under the first intake of the Municipal Modernization Program, of which 184 were approved for funding.

The ministry also continued its progress in reducing the municipal reporting burden. Ninety-four municipal reports were eliminated and 27 were consolidated and simplified over 2019-20.

The ministry continued to work with AMO and the City of Toronto, which have been important partners in discussing municipal finance matters. For example, as per the joint memorandum of understanding, the ministry engages with AMO on initiatives with impacts on municipalities on a monthly basis. During the 2019 AMO Conference alone, the ministry participated in a record 900 delegations with municipalities. The province meets with the City of Toronto on an as-needed basis regarding initiatives with potential impacts on the City.

Supported Municipalities in Response to the COVID‑19 Outbreak

On March 19, 2020 the Ontario government took unprecedented action to respond to COVID‑19 by convening an emergency sitting of the legislature and passing legislation which is helping to keep store shelves stocked and giving municipal councils flexibility to continue council operations while maintaining social distancing.

The Municipal Emergency Act, 2020 enabled regulatory changes that help ensure the delivery of goods to Ontario's businesses and consumers isn't hindered by municipal noise by-laws when they are most urgently needed. The legislation also empowers municipal partners to respond quickly to emergency situations by enabling them to conduct council, local board and committee meetings electronically.

The government also introduced measures to temporarily limit local noise by-laws to help allow essential construction projects and services related to health care to proceed at any time of the day. Local noise by-laws are also limited with respect to other essential construction projects from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. These measures will help ensure that important health care related projects, like the expansion of hospitals, are completed during the outbreak. It will also help speed up the building of new facilities needed to provide health services in response to COVID‑19. The changes will also support public health outcomes through social distancing by helping to enable staggered shifts which may reduce the number of workers on a site at any given time.

Community Housing

Signing the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit Addendum

The ministry signed an addendum to the bilateral agreement with the federal government on the National Housing Strategy that includes the mutually agreed-upon program design parameters for the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) program.

As of March 2020, the ministry is providing over 1,500 households with monthly housing benefits under the Portable Housing Benefit Program for survivors of domestic violence and survivors of human trafficking. The program continues to accept new applications on an ongoing basis. All households receiving assistance under this program will continue to be eligible for funding until June 2020 and will transition to the COHB program through the renewal process commencing in May 2020 for the July 2020 to June 2021 benefit year. The ministry expects over 5,000 households will receive housing assistance in the first year of the COHB program, and over 40,000 households will be assisted by 2027-28.

Investments provided to Service Managers and Indigenous Housing Providers

In 2019-20, the ministry provided approximately $436.7 million in investments to community housing through 47 service managers and Indigenous housing providers.

The ministry had also provided approximately $155.1 million to service managers and Indigenous Program Administrators under the National Housing Strategy programs.

Implementing Simplified Rent-Geared-to-Income Calculation

The ministry implemented changes to the rules that govern the calculation of rent-geared-to-income (RGI) assistance as part of Community Housing Renewal. The changes to RGI make it more fair and easier for tenants to understand and simpler for staff to administer.

Signing the Rural and Urban Indigenous Housing Program Agreement

On February 13, 2020, the Ministry and Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services (OAHS) signed an agreement for the delivery of the Rural and Urban Indigenous Housing Program (RUIHP), the successor to the Rural and Native Housing program, to begin April 1, 2020. Up to $8 million annually will be provided to OAHS, based on program performance. The Rural and Native Housing program ended on March 31, 2020.

The RUIHP has the following objectives:

• provide access to RGI housing for Indigenous and non-Indigenous households in core/deep core housing need, in urban and rural areas of Ontario
• provide affordable housing and affordable housing assistance, including housing allowances, to Indigenous and non-Indigenous households
• sustain community housing in the long-term and support diverse household profiles within RUIHP

Streamlining Reporting and Reducing Burden

Starting with the 2019-20 reporting year, the ministry has streamlined/reduced reporting requirements for service managers under the following ten programs:

1. Social Housing Electricity Efficiency Program
2. Social Housing Apartment Retrofit Program
3. Social Housing Apartment Improvement Program
4. Social Housing Renovation and Retrofit Program
5. Social Housing Improvement Program
6. Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program (capital component)
7. Canada-Ontario Investment in Affordable Housing Program (capital component)
8. Canada-Ontario Investment in Affordable Housing – Extension (capital component)
9. Social Infrastructure Fund Program (capital component)
10. Home for Good Program (capital component)

Streamlined reporting requirements will allow service managers to reduce the time spent on legacy administrative matters and to devote freed up resources towards helping more people in their communities with their housing needs.

Homelessness

Under the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative, the government provided approximately $323.7 million to service managers to help people experiencing homelessness obtain housing, and people at risk of homelessness to remain housed.

• In 2018-19, the funding helped approximately 29,333 households to obtain housing and approximately 156,414 households at risk of homelessness to remain in their homes.

In 2019-20, under the Supportive Housing Initiative, comprised of Home for Good and the Indigenous Supportive Housing Program:

• $50 million in provincial operating funding was provided to service managers under Home for Good.
• $13.3 million in provincial operating funding for Indigenous Program Administrators was provided under the Indigenous Supportive Housing Program.
• In 2018-19, Home for Good and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program funding helped over 5,700 households to obtain and retain housing with appropriate support services.

Engaging Stakeholders

The ministry began stakeholder engagement on supportive housing in March 2020 to identify opportunities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Ontario’s supportive housing programs so that current resources can be used to maximize their impact on people.

Improving Enumeration

The first province-wide enumeration took place in 2018. While this was an important first step, there were gaps and limitations in the data. The government committed to reviewing provincial enumeration requirements and to looking at best practices that could be adopted to improve enumeration going forward.

The ministry will introduce a by-name list approach across Ontario beginning in 2021. The ministry will work collaboratively with stakeholders over the coming months on implementation to ensure that future requirements are focused on achieving the best and most cost-effective outcomes for Ontarians.

Market Housing

Proposing Amendments to the RTA

Based on the Housing Supply Action Plan consultations, the ministry developed changes to the RTA to support a balanced and accessible adjudication process for tenants and landlords at the Landlord and Tenant Board. The proposed changes also improve tenant protections for no-fault and bad faith evictions.

Implementing More Homes, More Choice: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan

The ministry released More Homes, More Choice: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan (HSAP) and introduced the More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019 in May 2019. The HSAP includes a range of initiatives across government that collectively address barriers and unlock opportunities to increase the supply of market rental and ownership housing in Ontario. Many of the initiatives under the HSAP have been rolled out during 2019-20, while further development has occurred on others to be rolled out in the coming year.

Enhancing Housing and Homelessness Business Intelligence

The development of the Housing and Homelessness Business Intelligence Data Portal has been one of the ministry’s key I&IT infrastructure projects from 2016-17 to 2019-20, crucial to the success of building an evidence-based housing system. The data portal addresses the sector’s long-standing need for an integrated data warehouse that links housing and socio-economic datasets in one online platform, enabling ready access to data.

Providing Tenant and Landlord Guidance

The ministry is providing information to both tenants and landlords so they know their rights and responsibilities and understand changes to rental processes during the COVID-19 outbreak. The ministry encouraged landlords to work with tenants to establish fair arrangements to keep tenants in their homes, including halting planned rent increases, deferring rent or other payment arrangements. The ministry also provided information to help landlords and tenants understand their rights and responsibilities under provincial rental housing laws with respect to self-isolation and public health orders, and the ministry’s Rental Housing Enforcement Unit responded to calls from landlords and tenants for enforcement assistance.

2019-20 Results