Newmarket, Markham, Vaughan and Richmond Hill must grow by 125,000 homes over next decade, province mandates

Even municipalities without specific housing targets will grow under More Homes Built Faster Act

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 25, 2022
Lisa Queen

About 10 per cent of the province’s mandated and ambitious housing targets over the next decade is coming to four York Region municipalities.

But if your municipality isn’t on the list, don’t think it’s off the hook.

The province has set specific housing targets for 29 municipalities, including Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Newmarket.

Markham has been told it must accommodate 44,000 new homes.

Vaughan’s number is 42,000 homes, while Richmond Hill must accommodate 27,000 new homes and Newmarket must grow by 12,000 homes.

That adds up to 125,000 new homes of the 1.229 million homes the province has mandated to the 29 municipalities on the list.

The list is part of Queen’s Park’s overall target of 1.5 million homes to be built over the next 10 years under the controversial new More Homes Built Faster Act to address Ontario’s housing shortage.

Even communities without specific targets will see growth.

Ontario is expected to grow by more than two million people over the next 10 years, with approximately 70 per cent of this growth taking place in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Region, according to the province.

“For too many Ontarians, including young people, newcomers, and seniors, finding the right home is still too challenging,” Municipal Affairs and Housing minister, Steve Clark, said in a statement.

“This is not just a big-city crisis: the housing supply shortage affects all Ontarians, including rural, urban and suburban, north and south, young and old.”

The plan puts in place actions to support the development of “gentle density” -- housing like triplexes or garden suites -- that bridge the gap between single family homes and highrise apartment, a government statement said.

For example, it would remove exclusionary zoning, which allows for only one single detached home per lot. Instead, it would allow property owners to build three units without lengthy approvals and development charges, it said.
But many municipal politicians are irate over the province’s housing targets.

For example, York Region council agreed at a meeting Oct. 10 to ask the province to halt the bill, as mayors expressed outrage over the speed with which it was rushed through.