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Ontario’s $1.6 Billion Housing Push Meets Calls for Deeper Fixes

Rising costs are stalling projects, leaving housing targets out of reach.

Overview

  • Premier Doug Ford unveiled a $1.6‑billion infrastructure fund to speed up home-building, a move welcomed by industry voices as timely but insufficient.
  • Official data show Ontario’s 2024 housing starts at 94,753 versus roughly 125,000 needed, and CMHC reports a 28% year-over-year decline in July starts for the province.
  • The City of Ottawa missed its 2024 housing target and forfeited related provincial funding, underscoring the gap between goals and deliveries.
  • Developers cite sharply higher municipal levies as a key barrier, with Ottawa’s development charges up as much as 28% inside the Greenbelt and one ByWard Market infill facing about $700,000 in fees.
  • Political and civic debate is intensifying, with letters highlighting a Conservative landslide in Battle River–Crowfoot and a Manitoba group urging residents to prepare for 2026 municipal races.