CTV News Toronto has learned that, as part of the housing legislation, the City of Toronto will be poised to build 285,000 new homes by 2032.
The Ontario government said it will assign housing targets to municipalities based on population size and growth.
Ottawa has a housing target of 161,000, while Mississauga has a target of 120,000 and Brampton has a target of 113,000 homes.
Each city should develop “commitments” outlining how it will achieve the goals. It is unclear what will happen if municipalities do not meet their housing targets.
The government is expected to introduce a series of legislative changes and proposals on Tuesday that will help “build homes faster and lower costs” and allow the Progressive Conservatives to meet their goal of building 1.5 million homes in 10 years.
As part of this plan, the computers will allow more of the missing mid-rise homes to be built without further planning approvals.
Under the legislation, up to three units could be built on a single residential lot without any bylaw amendments or municipal permits. For example, a basement apartment and garden house could be built on one property and rented out to tenants. Doubles and triples could also be built on individual residential lots, regardless of municipal zoning laws.
These units will be exempt from development fees and park dedication fees under the new legislation.
Officials hope this will create a “broader mix of rental housing”.
Ontario will also eliminate fees — including development fees, park dedication levies and community benefits fees — for affordable housing, not-for-profit housing and “inclusive housing units.” This is in addition to a reduction in development charges of up to 25 per cent for family-sized rental units.
Conservation authority fees for development permits will be temporarily frozen.
A number of proposals that would allow the government to “streamline processes” for housebuilding, including removing the requirement for councils to hold public meetings on any draft development plan, focusing site plan reviews on health and safety rather than landscaping details and allowing ministry staff to make certain decisions on centralized development applications rather than waiting for ministerial approval.
These new changes come on the same day the government raised the tax rate on homes purchased by foreign nationals from 20 per cent to 25 per cent – the highest tax rate in Canada.
The tax increase comes into effect today.
This is a developing story. More to come.