(Condensed from 08 FEB CBC article by Ont. Provincial Affairs reporter, Mike Crawley)
Recently, The Housing Affordability Task Force’, released a report a mere two months after their appointment by Premier Ford and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark.
Ford intends to bring in legislation, in advance of the June 2022 provincial election.
The overarching purpose is to “rein in home prices by dramatically boosting the supply of housing.”
Among the 55 recommendations made by the Task Force five key themes emerge:
- Increase density in neighbourhoods zoned exclusively for single-family homes.
“The report recommends significant loosening of zoning restrictions in neighbourhoods that currently allow only detached or semi-detached houses.”
- Repeal municipal policies that focus on preserving a neighbourhood’s character.
“NIMBYism is a large and constant obstacle to providing housing everywhere,” the report says. “We cannot allow opposition and politicization of individual housing projects to prevent us from meeting the needs of all Ontarians.”
- Set uniform provincial standards for urban design, including building shadows and setbacks.
“Some of the proposals from the Housing Affordability Task Force would lessen municipal powers over development approvals and increase the province’s say by setting some zoning and urban design standards for all cities in Ontario.” (David Donnelly/CBC)
- Limit the time spent consulting the public on housing developments.
“Cut the red tape so we can build faster and reduce costs,” reads the title of a section on development approvals. “Municipalities allow far more public consultation than is required.”
- Legislate timelines for development approvals, and if the municipality misses the deadline, the project gets an automatic green light.
“Municipalities that fail to meet the province’s housing growth targets and approval timelines should have their provincial funding reduced, the task force says.”
Finally …”The task force takes particular aim at “not in my backyard” opposition to development. NIMBYism is a large and constant obstacle to providing housing everywhere,” the report says. “We cannot allow opposition and politicization of individual housing projects to prevent us from meeting the needs of all Ontarians.
You can find the full report here.