The Ford government’s next round of housing legislation, expected this spring, might change how municipalities finance the pipes, plants and infrastructure needed to support new housing.
Ontario’s housing minister has signalled that the upcoming bill will include policies to “further reduce development charges” by using alternative funding models for infrastructure, including “publicly owned municipal service providers.” The goal, the government argues, is to lower upfront costs on new housing and accelerate construction.
Housing economist Mike Moffatt says the proposal appears to focus on moving water and wastewater infrastructure off development charges and onto long-term utility-style financing, a technical shift that could reduce the sticker price of new homes by tens of thousands of dollars, even if the long-term costs don’t disappear.