OPPI Provides Solutions to Get Housing Built Faster in Ontario

Ontario is grappling with a shortage of housing and Registered Professional Planners (RPPs) have the expertise necessary to help solve the issue. Housing is top of mind for planners and our members are eager to help be part of the solution. 

In that collaborative spirit, OPPI convened an expert committee of 30 RPPs who work both within municipalities and private sector consulting firms to create a series of Recommendations for Housing Supply Action Plan on how to improve the planning process in Ontario. Many of the recommendations focus on simplifying and streamlining the process, while others suggest reforming zoning, increasing delegation of technical approvals to planners, and addressing the growing skills gap by increasing the number of planners in Ontario.  
  
OPPI is focused on helping to address the housing shortage and on working together with the province, municipalities, and its private and public sector partners.
 
Keep reading for a full list of each of our recommendations. Otherwise, check out our Policy Corner page to learn more about other policy solutions OPPI is working on.  

 
1. Shortage of Planners 
Address the skills gap and increase the number of planners in Ontario. Read more.

2. Standards for Planning Across Ontario 
Create a standardized set of requirements to expedite the review of technical planning reports across Ontario. Read more.

3. Uniform Data Collection and Formatting Standards 
Create a province wide data collection system and standards for planning and development applications. Read more.

4. Municipal Council Accountability 
Require municipal councils to provide planning rationale to justify instances where they go against advice from planning staff. Read more.

5. Consultation Scoping and Notification 
Scope community planning consultations so that only relevant topics can be discussed. Read more.

6. Delegation to Planners 
Delegate technical approvals to expert planning staff. Read more.

7. One Window Provincial Planning Service 
Reconcile conflicting comments among Ministries and provide a standard set of comments within the province’s One Window Planning Service. Read more.

8. Zoning Reform 
Update zoning in municipalities across the province in all Strategic Growth Areas. Read more.

9. Simplified Conformity Tests 
Where Official Plans are in conformity with provincial planning policies, zoning by-law amendments for housing applications only need to be tested against Official Plans rather than provincial planning policies. Read more.

10. Upfront Planning Tools like CPPS in New Growth Areas 
Incentivize municipalities across Ontario to use the Community Planning Permit System to expediate housing and development approvals. Read more.

11. Time Limits on Agency Review 
Streamline application approvals by setting timelines for entities like provincial ministries and agencies to comment on planning applications. The application will be supported with no objections if feedback is not received by the deadline. Read more.

12. Chief Planner of Ontario 
Create a non-partisan Chief Planner of Ontario (CPO) who advocates for proper planning principles, advances key provincial housing priorities, and provides municipality oversight for provincial planning policy. Read more.

13. Align Growth Targets and Allocations with New Provincial Housing Goals 
Update provincial planning policies to reflect the new provincial housing targets for Large and Fast-Growing Municipalities. Read more.