Ontario tables fast-track infrastructure bill while behind on 1.5M housing goal

Ontario’s housing minister introduced legislation Monday intended to speed up construction of new homes, despite being behind in reaching the goal by 2031.

Rob Flack, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, introduced the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act (2025) aimed at speeding up housing construction in the province.

Flack admitted during the bill’s announcement that the province is behind on meeting its goal of getting 1.5 million homes built over 10 years.

“Let me be frank, it takes too long and costs too much to build houses in Ontario,” said Flack.

The bill would reduce the scope and number of studies municipalities can require for new developments, speed up certain minor variances and standardize fees that developers pay.

Municipalities could then use that money to fund housing-enabling infrastructure, such as water and sewer lines.

“We will work with all municipalities to manage the burden of development fees on new homes, while ensuring municipalities have the support to build critical infrastructure,” said Flack. “Because without that infrastructure, we all know, new homes cannot be built.”

The bill would also allow municipalities to more easily reduce development charges, allow residential builders to pay those fees at the time occupancy, instead of when a permit is issued, and exempt long-term care homes from the fees in order to spur their development.

Flack says the legislation will help both lower housing costs and keep workers on the job in the face of economic uncertainty.

The minister said the Ford government’s target of building 1.5 million homes has not been forgotten, but conceded there are challenges.

“Well, as you know, we got some pretty strong headwinds,” said Flack. “It’s a goal, but frankly I am focused more on the next 12 to 24 months.”

“Well, it’s sort of a defence mechanism now saying it’s unaffordable to build housing in Ontario and trying to blame things like development fees,” said Keith Leslie, a former Queen’s Park correspondent. “There’s all sorts of reasons.”

“I mean, British Columbia has been able to build houses in the last few years when Ontario has fallen far, far behind – why? It’s got to be different regulations, so the province is trying to unify the regulations, make the provincial building code trump all so that municipalities can’t add things that aren’t in the building code so it’s going to streamline the process, but is it going to bring down the price of homes? I don’t see how it’s going to,” said Leslie.

Data published recently by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation showed that housing starts in Ontario in March were down 46 per cent year-over-year for communities with 10,000 or more people.

READ MORE: Ontario to table bill to speed up home building as 1.5M target not on track