Joey’s Notepad: The Legislature is Back, and The Ontario Government is Changing Planning Rules Again – TPR Hamilton

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government announced planned new changes to Ontario’s land use and planning regiment earlier today.

The changes will prohibit municipalities from regarding higher climate/green development standards than the minimums set in the building code, such as requiring EV charging stations,

In a public statement, entitled “Ontario Introducing Legislation to Improve Transit and Build More Homes“, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack is attributed as stating the government plans to implement new laws and regulations to:

• standardize Municipal Official Plans (Environmental Registry of Ontario public comments page here);
• establish a “third-party advisory body consisting of engineering, construction, and code specialists to undertake a section-by-section review” of the Building Code.
• remove municipal authority to require enhanced development standards at the site plan control stage;
• consulting on the disclosure of municipal development charges and other hidden fees in agreements of purchase and sale for new homes; and
• Remove development charges from non-profit retirement homes to expand affordable housing options for seniors.

At the same time, the provincial government updated and create the following consultation on the Environmental Registry of Ontario:

• *NEW* Streamlining and Standardizing Official Plans – the major changes to the Planning Act, 30 day public comment period.
• *NEW* Consultation on upper-tier official plans, secondary plans, and site and area-specific policies, 30 day public comment period.
• *NEW* Streamlining the information and material that planning authorities can require as part of a complete application, 45 day public comment period.
• *NEW* Proposal to reform site plan control under the Planning Act and the City of Toronto Act, 2006, 45 day public comment period.
• *NEW* Proposed Regulatory Approach to Establish a Minimum Residential Lot Size in Urban Areas, 45 day public comment period. Proposal is to set a minimum lot size of 175 square metres (approximately 1900 square feet) on parcels of urban residential land outside the Greenbelt Area, with the goal of allowing for more missing middle housing.
• *NEW* Proposed Changes to Various Regulations Under the Planning Act and the City of Toronto Act, 2006 to Specify Additional “Prescribed Professions” for the Purposes of a Complete Application, 45 day public comment period.
• *NEW* Proposed Changes to Support Standardizing of Parkland Requirements Under the Planning Act, 45 day public comment period.
• *NEW* Proposed Regulation to Prohibit Mandatory Enhanced Development Standards as a Condition of Land Division Approvals, 45 day public comment period.
• Consultation on Minimum Lot Sizes, finalization of October 2025 posting. (City of Hamilton comment on the proposal);
• Consultation on simplifying and standardizing official plans, finalization of October 2025 posting. (City of Hamilton comment on this proposal, Bay Area Climate Change Council comment)

The text of Bill 98 is not yet available on the Legislative Assembly website.

I will endeavour to review the legislation and changes over the upcoming Easter weekend.

Production Details
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Published: March 30, 2026
Last updated: March 30, 2026
Author: Joey Coleman
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