Yesterday, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark, introduced the More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022, an omnibus bill focused on improving housing accessibility and affordability by aiming to increase and accelerate Ontario’s housing supply.
Throughout its mandate, the Ford Government has been focused on the housing sector and increasing the housing stock. In 2019 the government introduced the Housing Supply Action Plan, which this announcement builds on to deal with the soaring costs affiliated with home ownership in the province of Ontario. Recognizing that housing accessibility and affordability are key issues going into this provincial election, the government’s introduction of the More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022 furthers the Ford Government’s commitment to increasing the housing supply.
The bill is the latest measure toward improving housing conditions in the province, following the release of the Housing Affordability Task Force Report introduced this past February. Whereas many of the Task Force recommendations are decidedly more aggressive and would have imposed many new requirements on municipalities, the More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022 takes a much more collaborative approach and holds off on more controversial policy issues, such as reforming single-family zoning, to likely post election.
The goal of this new legislation is to create more housing options for homebuyers, protect homebuyers from unethical development practices, and prevent home prices from rising at an exponential rate. The Ford Government has made it clear that if re-elected in June, we should expect to see more of the recommendations in the Housing Affordability Task Force Report outlined in future legislation, with a particular focus on the report’s recommendation that Ontario needs to build 1.5 million homes in the next 10 years.
The bill tackles significant policy changes, notably the following:
Our Municipal Government Relations and Ontario Government Relations Practice Groups will be tracking this bill closely, and how it is positioned as we inch closer to both the provincial election this spring and municipal elections this fall. While this bill is less ambitious in implementing the recommendations of the Housing Affordability Task Force report than some may have hoped, the government has also made clear in its announcement that this legislation represents a first step, and that we can expect further measures aimed at solving Ontario’s housing supply situation to be introduced if the PC Government is re-elected this June. Please do not hesitate to contact your Sussex consultant should you have any questions regarding the More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022.
Jamie Besner, Managing Partner
jbesner@sussex-strategy.com
Angela Drennan, Vice President and Municipal Practice Lead
adrennan@sussex-strategy.com
Brian Zeiler-Kilgman, Vice President, Ontario Government Relations
Tristan Downe-Dewdney, Senior Associate, Municipal Practice
tdowne-dewdnney@sussex-strategy.com
Amanda DeYoung, Associate, Ontario Government Relations