On October 23, 2025, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) announced the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025. In a Press Briefing, MMAH stated that the purpose of the Act is to “protect Ontario’s economy and keep workers on the job by cutting red tape, getting shovels in the ground faster and supporting the construction of homes, roads and infrastructure.” The Act forms part of the provincial government’s continued effort to address Ontario’s “housing crisis” by adopting measures that will make it easier and faster to build new housing and infrastructure.

The Act is currently under review by Dentons, with a detailed update to be provided shortly. In the interim, the following is a summary of the proposed changes, as described by MMAH in their Technical Briefing:

• The Province will undertake a line-by-line, section-by-section review of the Ontario Building Code to remove outdated or unnecessary requirements that slow development/construction and make it more costly.
• The Province will work with municipalities, key stakeholders and the public to simplify and standardize official plans, which some have criticized as being highly restrictive and overly complex land use planning documents.
• The Act includes proposed amendments to the Development Charges Act, 1997 aimed at standardizing and streamlining development charges.
• The Act proposes legislative amendments that prohibit the City of Toronto from requiring green roofs. Additionally, the Province will consider the removal of other “green-development standards” to cut red tape, reduce costs, and make the municipal site planning process less onerous.
• The Act proposes amendments to the Planning Act to expedite Transit Oriented Community projects and accelerate designations for Protected Major Transit Station Areas by removing a layer of approval.
• The Act proposes amendments to the Planning Act to enhance the Minister’s flexibility to make Minister’s Zoning Orders and to make planning decisions that advance provincial priorities.

Dentons will continue to review the proposed legislation and will provide a further update detailing the legislation shortly. Should you have any questions about the Act or any related legislative and regulatory proposals, please contact Katarzyna Sliwa, Isaiah Banach, Max Reedijk, Jessica Jakubowski, Karen Sadler, or any member of the Dentons Municipal Planning, Land Use and Development team.