Part of Ontario Greenbelt to open for 50,000 new homes

December 29, 2022



The Ontario government is forging ahead with a plan to encourage construction of 50,000 new homes in parts of the Greenbelt of its Greater Toronto Area and its Greater Golden Horseshoe region.
The province passed two regulations in December 2022 related to its strategy of developing on the environmentally sensitive lands, which have been off limits to developers for decades.
The first redesignates lands in the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan area. The second adds 13 new Urban River Valley areas and lands in the Paris Galt Moraine in Wellington County while removing 15 other areas of land.
Ontario’s home building industry supported the proposed amendments, according to the government.
Housing Minister Steve Clark said the plan would approve new homes on 7,400 acres of land in 15 different areas from the Greenbelt to fulfil part of its campaign promise of building at least 1.5 million homes.
“It is the government’s expectation that new home construction will begin on these lands by no later than 2025, and that significant progress on approvals and implementation must be achieved by the end of 2023,” a statement from the government reads.
A spokesperson said it is the ministry’s expectation that at least 10 per cent of the 50,000 new builds will be affordable homes.