Today, the Government of Ontario introduced Bill 98, the Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act, a new piece of legislation aimed at reducing red tape, improving planning and approvals processes, and supporting the timely delivery of new housing and infrastructure across the province, while protecting jobs and economic activity.
Together, the Hon. Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation, and the Hon. Todd McCarthy, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, introduced the proposed legislation which builds on recent actions taken by the Ontario government and reflects a broader, systems-based approach to reform. The government continues to advance coordinated measures that work together to modernize the approvals process, improve predictability, and reduce unnecessary delays and costs that impact housing delivery and the ability to sustain jobs across the residential construction sector.
Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA) and Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) welcome the continued focus on addressing systemic barriers within the planning and development approvals framework. Scott Andison, OHBA’s CEO and Dave Wilkes, BILD President & CEO, were both in attendance for today’s announcement.
Key measures within the legislation include, among others:
- Further streamlining of planning and approval tools, including reforms to municipal official plans to improve consistency, usability, and navigation.
- Changes to site plan control to limit the imposition of enhanced development standards beyond health and safety requirements, alongside the launch of a broader consultation on site plan structural reforms.
- Bringing into force long-awaited parkland dedication reforms first introduced through Bill 23 (2022), a longstanding industry priority, by enabling greater flexibility in how parkland requirements are met, including recognition of high-quality encumbered and publicly accessible lands.
- Establishment of an expert third-party advisory body as part of the comprehensive, section-by-section review of the Ontario Building Code to address complexity and duplication, supporting more efficient construction activity and jobs across the sector.
- Increase transparency through consultation on the disclosure of development charges and other government-imposed costs in agreements of purchase and sale.
- Proposing revocation of the outdated Parkway Belt West Plan and associated MZOs, removing duplicative and unnecessary legacy planning layers while maintaining protections through modern provincial planning policies.
- Removal of development charges for non-profit retirement homes to support additional housing options in the housing continuum.
- New frameworks to enable communal water and wastewater systems, particularly in rural and hard-to-service areas.
- Reinforcing that the new public corporation for water and wastewater in Peel Region will remain in public ownership, while clarifying governance, agreements, and workforce transition provisions to support continuity of service.
- Providing greater certainty around the role and structure of municipal servicing delivery through clarified rules for transferred agreements, employees, and long-term system operations
These measures complement recently announced initiatives, building on the government’s ongoing work to accelerate housing and transportation infrastructure, supporting a more efficient, coordinated system that can get shovels in the ground faster, support jobs across the residential construction sector, and improve overall affordability for Ontario residents and families. The new legislation signals a continued commitment to addressing housing supply challenges through coordinated policy action.
Quote from Scott Andison, CEO, OHBA:
“Our industry has consistently emphasized the importance of reducing red tape and bringing greater predictability to the planning approvals process. Ontario’s continued efforts to streamline approvals and remove barriers are both welcome and necessary. Actions such as parkland dedication reform, limiting the imposition of enhanced development standards, and advancing site plan improvements, alongside the recently announced HST relief off of all new homes, demonstrate a clear, coordinated approach to getting housing moving again. Taken together, these measures reflect meaningful progress toward modernizing the system and supporting both new home construction and the renovation sector, and the jobs they create across Ontario.”
OHBA and BILD will continue to review the legislation in detail and engage with government on implementation to ensure these reforms deliver tangible improvements in timelines, certainty, and housing supply outcomes.
The Ontario News release can be accessed here:
Ontario Introducing Legislation to Improve Transit and Build More Homes.
The Media Briefing technical deck can be found here:
Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act
The legislation can be found here:
Bill 98, Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act, 2026.
