Ontario is seeking to decrease the amount of red tape around development applications, Premier Doug Ford said on Thursday, as constrained supply continues to drive up housing prices. Ford stated that the summit's purpose was to devise tangible solutions to assist more families to purchase a home. "While the answers may appear apparent, putting them into action requires a lot of hard work and commitment," he stated at the start of the virtual summit.
"We know we need to better standardise processes and procedures across areas, and we know we need to enhance data collecting and reporting so we can better track success and where we can improve." Ford remarked that the province had the greatest number of home starts in 30 years last year, but with inventory still running short, he vowed to provide municipalities with "every tool available to make us a lot faster when it comes to achieving housing starts."
"We have to do rid of all the red tape and bureaucracy," Ford stated. "We're collaborating with all of the municipalities, and I think we had a pretty excellent meeting." Mayor Tory, I believe, was also present. We all want to ensure that there is affordable housing throughout the province."
Ford also admitted that the problem of increasingly pricey housing isn't limited to the GTA, but has expanded throughout the province. According to Ford, a new $45 million Streamline Development Approval Fund will assist the 39 largest towns to approve housing proposals more rapidly. In addition, the province stated that it will collaborate with municipalities to create a data standard for planning and development applications, which should speed up the process.
His remarks on Thursday reflected the suggestions made earlier this month by the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force. The task group, which was formed by the provincial government and included nine specialists in not-for-profit housing, Indigenous housing, real estate, house construction, financial markets, and economics, argued for increased density and less public discussions on planned buildings. The housing problem in Ontario will not be addressed overnight, according to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark, but cutting red tape will help get more houses constructed faster.
"The way housing is approved and built was designed for a different era when the province was less constrained by space and had fewer people," Chair of the Housing Affordability Task Force Chair and Chief Executive Officer and Group Head, Global Banking and Markets at Scotiabank Jake Lawrence wrote in the report. "However, it no longer satisfies the demands of Ontarians." The scales have tipped too far in favour of prolonged discussions, bureaucratic red tape, and pricey appeals. It is far too simple to oppose new housing, and it is also too expensive to create. We are in a housing crisis, which necessitates quick and far-reaching reforms."
