- with Senior Company Executives, HR and Finance and Tax Executives
- with readers working within the Property and Construction & Engineering industries
Key Takeaways
- On October 23, 2025, the Ontario government announced legislation and consultations on a range of initiatives with the goal of expediting the approval process to get housing built.
- As of right minor variances are proposed up to a yet to be determined percentage of existing zoning standards.
- Consultations on the elimination of green development standards and the standardization of official plans are underway.
- Restrictions on removing lanes of traffic to install bike lanes will be imposed across the province.
On October 23, 2025, the Ontario government announced a series of legislative changes and other initiatives in an attempt to decrease the time it takes to get shovels in the ground for housing and infrastructure. It introduced Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, which proposes changes to multiple statutes. The government also released a technical briefing [PDF] setting out all of the initiatives it is taking to advance the goal of getting homes built quickly. A comprehensive list of all the consultations underway are provided on the Environmental Registry of Ontario. We provide below blacklines of the sections of the key legislative changes, as well as a summary of all the changes proposed:
Development Charges Act blackline
Transit Oriented Communities Act blackline
Planning Act change and consultations
Standardized official plans
While not part of the legislation introduced, the government has initiated a consultation to determine whether official plans should be simplified and standardized.
Feedback is being sought on a proposed standard format for official plans, including a mandated structure of both chapter titles and order, as well as for standardized land use designations and permissions. Implementing such a change would see a complete revision to every official plan across the province, resulting in a standard format, with the goal of providing certainty and consistency to landowners.
As of right variances
Adding on to the changes put in place by Bill 17 (but not yet implemented), as of right variances will be permitted for up to a yet to be determined percentage of existing zoning standards, minimizing the need for minor variance applications. Bill 17 put a structure in place for variances to setback requirements, but a regulation implementing that change is not yet in force.
Minister's decisions will not have to be consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement (PPS)
Decisions affecting a land use planning matter are required to be consistent with the PPS. Minister's decisions on ministerial zoning orders are currently exempt from this requirement. The proposed change will exempt all ministerial decisions from the PPS consistency requirements.
Minister's Zoning Orders (MZOs) will no longer be regulations
This is a little in the legal weeds, but MZOs will no longer be regulations under the Legislation Act. They will continue to have the same legal effect, and there is a proposed legislative requirement that they be posted on a website for transparency. Currently, MZOs are regulations, and are posted on e-laws shortly after being filed with the Registrar of Regulations.
MZO-required agreements
The Minister has the power to require owners who are subject to MZOs to enter into agreements with a municipality. The Minister is proposed to be given the power to specify timelines for entering into such agreements, and to deem parts of agreements where there is a dispute to be of no force and effect, or to require that a disagreement over an agreement be referred to the Ontario Land Tribunal for a final determination.
Green development standards
While not part of the current proposed legislative changes, there is a consultation on what are referred to as "green development standards" or "enhanced development standards – lot level (outside of buildings)". Feedback is being sought on how these tools are being used, perhaps leading to future legislative or regulatory changes. This builds on the changes to the Building Code Act put in place by Bill 17, which restricts the ability of municipalities to pass by-laws relating to the construction of buildings. The technical briefing expressly refers to prohibiting the City of Toronto's requirement for green roofs.
Protected Major Transit Station Areas (PMTSA) official plan amendments
Official plan amendments in PMTSAs that authorize residential uses on all of the lands within a PMTSA will be exempt from ministerial approval, bringing them into force more quickly.
Development Charges Act
Land costs
A new class of costs is proposed in the Development Charges Act: land acquisition.
Local services policy
The Act will now require the establishment of local service policies for all services that can be subject to a development charge if some part of the service will be a local service. A by-law cannot include the costs associated with local services.
Reporting to the Minister
The Minister is proposed to have the ability to require that a copy of either or both of a background study or a by-law be provided to the government.
Transit oriented communities
Changes are proposed to the Transit Oriented Communities Act that would give the Minister of Infrastructure the power to require municipalities and landowners to enter into agreements related to matters considered necessary for appropriate development of the community.
Transit Station charges
The GO Transit Station Funding Act, 2023, is proposed to be amended to allow for the payment of any transit station charge on occupancy of a building, along with provision for financial securities to be posted to secure the amounts owing pending occupancy.
Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act
A new Act is proposed which would allow the Minister to designate a corporation as a water and wastewater public corporation which would provide water and sewage services on behalf of lower tier municipalities. The Act would allow such a corporation to assume ownership and operation of water and sewer utilities and to impose rates and fees on users. The Minister will be able to make regulations governing the structure of the corporation and, in particular, the number, classes and series of shares. How this Act is implemented will be something to watch as it could affect how these core services are delivered and paid for.
Restrictions on bike lanes
While one of the goals of the Bill is to reduce government involvement in some decision-making with respect to bike lanes, additional restrictions on municipalities are being imposed. The Highway Traffic Act is proposed to be amended to remove the ability of municipalities to reduce the number of marked lanes on a road for the purpose of installing bike lanes. The Minister of Transportation will have the ability to make regulations allowing bike lanes, but it is unclear what exceptions might be made to allow bike lanes.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
