Municipalities want to qualify for funding based on permits issued, not housing starts
Ontario’s big cities say they could lose out on millions of dollars in provincial funding for housing-related infrastructure due to factors beyond their control, unless the government makes a simple change to the criteria.
The provincial government announced in August that it would give up to $1.2 billion over three years under a Building Faster Fund to municipalities that meet at least 80 per cent of their provincially assigned housing targets.
But the Ontario Big City Mayors group has written to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra to ask him to allow municipalities to qualify for a piece of the fund based on how many building permits they issue, rather than on housing starts.