Published plans and annual reports 2024–2025: Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Ministry overview

Ministry vision

Working with local governments and partners across Ontario to build safe, strong and sustainable urban and rural communities with dynamic local economies, a high quality of life for residents, and homes that meet people’s diverse needs.

To build a better Ontario, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) is leading initiatives to encourage dynamic and effective municipal governments, support economic growth, get key infrastructure and housing projects built faster and keep costs down to help businesses, families and workers. This includes:

• Leading and coordinating government-wide legislative and non-legislative policies, tools and initiatives to help increase housing supply, cut red tape and protect homebuyers/owners and renters
• Working with partner ministries on advancing data gathering and a plan for addressing barriers to build at least 1.5 million homes
• Working with partner ministries and engaging with the federal government to ensure that municipalities have adequate support and funding for housing-enabling infrastructure and other projects that support community growth
• Continuing to collaborate with partner ministries, Infrastructure Ontario and other stakeholders to lead policy and program development for a new attainable housing program
• Providing funding under the Building Faster Fund to eligible municipalities, which can be used towards capital expenditures for homelessness services and supports in addition to housing-enabling infrastructure such as site servicing, roads, public utilities and other purposes that support the goal of increasing housing supply and community building.
• Consulting on, and then finalizing, a proposal for an updated Provincial Planning Statement (PPS) which would replace both the existing PPS and the A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe
• Leading the development of amendments to the Planning Act and its associated regulations to help create the conditions to maximize the creation of housing supply across the province
• Continuing to engage key stakeholders on building code services transformation initiatives to support the building sector’s needs and promoting public health and safety standards
• Enhancing the alignment of the technical requirements of Ontario’s Building Code with the National Construction Codes to support cross-country harmonization of Codes
• Implementing the timely adoption with the National Construction Codes to meet reconciliation agreement requirements under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement
• Consulting on zoning by-law barriers to the building of small multi-unit residential housing
• Advancing housing supply and economic development opportunities through provincial one window land use planning approvals and services and Minister’s Zoning Orders
• Maintaining strong relationships with municipal clients and building municipal capacity in the areas of governance, financial sustainability, and service delivery, targeting additional support to municipalities facing governance or financial challenges
• Reviewing disaster financial assistance programs to consider potential alignment with updated federal guidelines as well as the outcomes of Ontario’s 2019–23 ‘Build Back Better’ pilot project under the Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance program
• Supporting Planning Boards in Northern Ontario to deliver land-use planning services in unincorporated territories
• Preparing and initiating the next ten-year review of the Greenbelt Plan, in conjunction with the review of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and Niagara Escarpment Plan

MMAH is also leading initiatives that help care for people, including our most vulnerable. This includes:

• Continuing to work with sector partners on guidance materials to support implementation of Ontario’s Community Housing Renewal Strategy that took effect July 1, 2023, including negotiation of service agreements. The Strategy is designed to help stabilize the community housing system for those who live and work in it
• Continuing to help local service managers to prevent and address homelessness in their communities through delivery of the Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP). Through the HPP, service managers have the flexibility to target funding where it is most needed in their communities, including capital expenses
• Continuing to support Indigenous Program Administrators in the delivery of the Indigenous Supportive Housing Program (ISHP) which is specifically designed to be administered by Indigenous organizations to help Indigenous people experiencing homelessness to access housing assistance and supports to become stably housed
• Continuing to administer federal funding, subject to federal approval, under Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI), and federal/provincial funding under Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI) and Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB)
• Collaborating with the Ministries of Children, Community and Social Services and Health through the Multi-Ministry Supportive Housing Initiative to continue to improve Ontario’s supportive housing system
• Exploring opportunities to raise awareness and knowledge sharing with local service managers of the newly released Special Priority Policy Guide
• Continuing to provide operating funding — contingent on federal funding — to support shelter needs of asylum claimants and refugees — to the City of Toronto and the City Ottawa through their respective New Deals to address the unique pressures and challenges each City faces with respect to their shelter systems and homelessness supports

Mandate

The goals of the ministry are to provide leadership to help ensure communities are served by strong, efficient local governments and that all people in Ontario have access to housing that meets their needs. To achieve these goals, MMAH:

• Ensures that appropriate land-use planning policies are in place to support growth throughout the province, increase housing supply and respond to market needs, while recognizing that one size does not fit all
• Develops, implements and administers policies and programs that support community, supportive, and market housing supply, which includes residential and commercial tenancy regulation, community housing regulation and homelessness prevention programs
• Develops, coordinates and implements Ontario government policies and programs that support municipalities
• Leads the provincial-municipal relationship with municipal stakeholders including the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the City of Toronto as well as provincial-business relationships with key growth partners
• Supports Ontario’s federal-provincial-municipal relationships.

MMAH also develops and administers policies and programs in support of municipal administration, governance, and finance; infrastructure improvement; municipal and provincial land use planning; growth management; building regulation; and disaster recovery and mitigation.

Ministry programs

The ministry is responsible for the following programs:

Market housing

In collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, including municipal and federal governments, the private sector and not-for-profits, the ministry develops policies, programs and initiatives to increase housing supply and affordability, and support the Province’s goal of building at least 1.5 million homes by 2031. The ministry’s work in this area includes:

• Development and coordination of evidence-based market housing policies and programs, such as those that:
  • Remove barriers and reduce costs and time to build housing
  • Make homebuying and renting in Ontario easier, fairer and more transparent
  • Provide Ontarians with a wide mix of housing types and options, including market rental and home ownership
• Development, facilitation and implementation of funding supports and other tools to help municipalities meet their housing pledges and commitments (for example, the $1.2 billion Building Faster Fund)
• Incorporation of housing outcomes into the disposition of surplus lands (for example, below market housing)
• Exploration of innovative and modular housing construction methods, to reduce delays and costs
• Internal and external stakeholder engagement related to market rental and home ownership.

Residential tenancies

The ministry also sets the legislative and policy framework for both residential and commercial landlords and tenants through the:

• Residential Tenancies Act (RTA), which governs rental housing in Ontario and sets rules in areas such as rent, security of tenure and the adjudication of disputes. This includes supporting the ministry’s provision of investigation and enforcement services for alleged offences under the RTA through the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit
• Commercial Tenancies Act (CTA), which sets out rules for commercial tenancies to enable businesses to operate effectively.

In 2024–25, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the market housing program:

• Implement the Building Faster Fund, a three-year, $1.2 billion program designed to reward municipalities that help address the housing supply crisis by meeting or exceeding their housing targets. The Building Faster Fund provides funding for capital expenditures for homelessness services and supports in addition to housing-enabling infrastructure such as site servicing, roads, public utilities and other purposes that support the goal of increasing housing supply and community building
• Continue the success from past provincial land sales and leases for affordable housing outcomes by developing in collaboration with partner ministries, other stakeholders and Infrastructure Ontario a new attainable housing program to help more people in Ontario realize their dream of home ownership, including on surplus provincial lands and leveraging modular manufacturing where site density permits
• Provide leadership, work with other ministries and participate with key government and housing stakeholders to conduct housing market research and analysis, represent Ontario in federal/provincial/territorial tables, and develop evidence-based market housing policies and programs

Community housing

This program includes both social and affordable housing that is owned and operated primarily by non-profit housing corporations, housing co-operatives and municipal governments or district social services administration boards. These providers offer subsidized or low-end-of market rents. Approximately 239,000 households live in community housing. This includes approximately 185,000 households (Source: 2021 Service Manager Annual Information Report (SMAIR)) that rely on deeply subsidized rental housing to maintain housing stability (social housing that provides rent-geared-to-income (RGI) assistance) as well as approximately 53,000 households (Source: 2021–22 Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON)) that live in affordable rental housing.

The ministry’s Community Housing Renewal Strategy outlines a provincial plan to work with partners to stabilize and grow the community housing sector. Investments through the National Housing Strategy (NHS) are a key element of the Community Housing Renewal Strategy. The NHS bilateral agreement between Ontario and the federal government provides funding to protect, renew and expand community housing; support Ontario’s priorities related to housing repair, construction and affordability; and deliver direct affordability support to Ontarians who need housing.

Community Housing initiatives provide operating and capital funding to service managers and Indigenous Program Administrators and include payments to service managers under the Canada-Ontario Social Housing Agreement (SHA), and payments to service managers and Indigenous Program Administrators under the NHS programs. Community Housing also encompasses funding through the Indigenous and Community Housing Initiative, which includes the Rural and Urban Indigenous Housing Program (RUIHP), and provincial affordability payments under the Affordable Housing Program Agreement.

The SHA provides federal funding to replace the prior federal share of social housing costs that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) would have incurred for federal/provincial agreements and federal unilateral projects as listed in the SHA. Between 2018–19 and 2032–33, which is the final year of the SHA federal funding, federal funding decreases as projects’ mortgages/debentures mature or original operating agreements expire, thereby resulting in a scheduled annual decline in federal funding. The Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI), one of the programs under the NHS, aims to protect affordability for households in social housing, to support the repair and renewal of existing social housing supply, and to expand the supply of community housing over time.

In 2024–25, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the community housing program:

• Continue to support the implementation of the new community housing framework that was announced on March 30, 2022 (all changes took effect by July 1, 2023). MMAH is working with sector partners on guidance material to support implementation, including negotiation of service agreements. The new framework is intended to stabilize the community housing system for those who live and work in it by:
  • Encouraging housing providers to remain in the system by signing service agreements. This will protect critical community housing supply and encourage housing providers to continue to offer deeply affordable rents for tens of thousands of Ontario households.
  • Requiring service managers to set local income and asset limits and continue to prioritize survivors of abuse and trafficking for rent-geared-to-income assistance.
  • Improving efficiency and updating accountability rules to encourage new programs that meet local housing needs.
• Continue work on longer-term transformational elements of community housing, such as exploring an outcomes-based accountability approach for community housing.
• Review the current policy direction that is intended to guide local Housing and Homelessness plans to ensure local plans align with government priorities.
• Subject to federal approval of Ontario’s 2022–25 Action Plan, continue to administer federal funding under COCHI and federal and provincial funding under the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI) and the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB):
  • Together the OPHI and COCHI programs help build, create, and renovate community housing, provide homeownership opportunities, and improve housing affordability.
  • The COHB program provides a portable housing benefit to improve housing affordability and gives priority to survivors of domestic violence, survivors of human trafficking, persons experiencing or at risk of homelessness, Indigenous persons, seniors, people with disabilities, and young adults (including those leaving the child welfare system).
    • Includes additional dedicated funding under COHB for survivors of gender-based violence, including messaging to service managers to remind them to continue to prioritize this population for COHB funding.
• Continue to deliver other existing Community Housing programs, including:
  • Payments to service managers under the Canada-Ontario Social Housing Agreement and provincial affordability payments under the Affordable Housing Program, which will continue until 2033.
  • Payments to service managers and Indigenous Program Administrators under the Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH), IAH Extension, and Social Infrastructure Fund programs for capital projects as they progress to completion and rental assistance, which will continue until March 31, 2025.
  • Indigenous and Community Housing Initiatives including Rural and Urban Indigenous Housing Program (RUIHP).
    • RUIHP provides access to rent-geared-to-income (RGI) housing for Indigenous and non-Indigenous households in core/deep core housing need, in urban and rural areas of Ontario, affordable housing and affordable housing assistance to Indigenous and non-Indigenous households, and supports to sustain Community Housing in the long-term. The ministry will consider a four-year renewal (to March 31, 2029) of the program following the completion of a program review in 2024–25.

Homelessness

This program includes operating and capital funding to service managers under the Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP), to Indigenous Program Administrators under the Indigenous Supportive Housing Program (ISHP), and affordability payments under the legacy Home for Good program. These programs support municipal service managers and Indigenous Program Administrators to help people who are homeless and at risk of homelessness become stably housed or avoid becoming homeless in the first place.

Service managers and Indigenous Program Administrators use funding under these programs to:

• Operate, build and repair supportive and transitional housing
• Operate emergency shelters (HPP)
• Fund homelessness prevention services and supports such as rent supplements, emergency financial assistance and landlord outreach and mediation
• Provide other services and supports such as providing street outreach, coordinating case management

In addition, service managers also use funding program to:

• Maintain By-Name Lists to obtain real-time data about people experiencing homelessness in each community and their needs (HPP)

In 2024–25, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the Homelessness program:

• Continue to help service managers prevent and address homelessness in their communities through the delivery of the streamlined HPP. Through the HPP, service managers have flexibility to target funding where it is needed the most, including to capital expenses, to assist those experiencing, or at risk of homelessness.
• Continue to support Indigenous Program Administrators in the delivery of the ISHP. The ISHP is specifically designed to be administered by Indigenous organizations and helps Indigenous people experiencing homelessness to access housing assistance and supports to become stably housed. It includes $10 million in annual Mental Health and Addictions funding to provide Indigenous led, culturally appropriate long-term housing solutions and support services to Indigenous people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, through the Roadmap to Wellness: A Plan to Build Ontario’s Mental Health and Addictions System.
• Continue to provide operating funding — contingent on federal funding to support shelter needs of asylum claimants and refugees — to the City of Toronto and the City Ottawa through their respective New Deals to address the unique pressures and challenges each City faces with respect to their shelter systems and homelessness supports.
• Continue collaboration with the ministries of Children, Community and Social Services and Health through the Multi-Ministry Supportive Housing Initiative (MMSHI), to make further progress on the following initiatives to improve supportive housing in Ontario:
  • Developing a common pre-screening framework to help people navigate towards the right housing and supports
  • Establishing local integrated supportive housing planning requirements to coordinate supportive housing across the housing, health and community services sectors, in order to improve collaboration and better respond to clients’ complex needs
  • Continuing to analyze the findings from the cost avoidance review of supportive housing completed in September 2022, and key feedback received during the Associate Minister of Housing’s Supportive Housing Roundtable Sessions held in November 2022, in order to inform ongoing work moving forward to improve Ontario’s supportive housing system.

Municipal finance and governance

This program supports local governments to deliver services and infrastructure that are effective and have a positive impact on the day-to-day lives of the people of Ontario.

Through this program, the ministry provides a legislative, regulatory and programmatic framework to build municipal capacity, including effective municipal governance; accountability; transparency; and municipal elections. The program also enables municipal partners to build prosperous and financially sustainable communities that are able to invest in infrastructure and deliver services.

The ministry, in collaboration with other provincial ministries, works directly with municipalities, municipal associations, and other partners to help build and maintain a strong relationship between the province and municipalities. This includes ensuring the impacts of government initiatives and the municipal perspective around those initiatives are understood and inform the province’s work.

In 2024–25, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the Municipal finance and governance program:

• Continue actively engaging municipalities through the Memorandum of Understanding with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Toronto-Ontario Cooperation and Consultation Agreement, participating in municipal association conferences and meetings.
• Encourage and foster collaboration, consultation and engagement between partner ministries and the municipal sector to ensure there is a strong relationship between the province and municipalities. This includes working with and supporting ministries by identifying municipal considerations and potential impacts.
• Support the implementation of the changes to the development charges, community benefits charge and parkland dedication frameworks, which are designed to support the government’s efforts to increase housing supply.
• Continue to support good municipal governance, including the implementation of strong mayor powers in designated municipalities which will enable them to deliver on shared provincial-municipal priorities.
• Support government decision-making and implementation of decisions in response to recommendations from the Peel Region Transition Board on the transfer of services that are currently provided by the Region of Peel, specifically: land use planning, water and wastewater, regional roads (including stormwater) and waste management.
• Support government participation in and future response to the Regional Governance Study being undertaken by the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy to assess the best mix of roles and responsibilities in select two-tier municipalities (Halton, Durham, Niagara, Waterloo, York, Simcoe and Peel) to help ensure municipalities are providing effective and accountable government, particularly when it comes to getting more homes built.
• Continue to monitor local implementation of the code of conduct framework and explore opportunities to help ensure that municipal workplaces are safe and respectful.
• Continue to assess municipal capacity to manage finances and to deliver services and good governance. Identify those municipalities that require support and deliver targeted and sector-wide capacity building as required.
• Continue to gather data and local intelligence about municipal issues, challenges, and best practices to inform future provincial policy development and program design.
• Connect municipalities to partner ministry programs and tools in order to support local economic recovery and economic development.

Land use planning

Under this program, MMAH develops, monitors and administrates Ontario’s land use planning systems. The provincial land use planning framework has evolved significantly over time and is regularly subject to legislative and policy reviews to ensure that it reflects current direction for managing growth, protecting resources (for example, water, agriculture, natural heritage), and protecting public health and safety. The framework currently includes the Planning Act and associated regulations. It also includes policy statements issued under that legislation, along with other related legislation, policies and provincial plans such as the Greenbelt Plan, the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (A Place to Grow), the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, and the Ontario Planning and Development Act (Parkway Belt West Plan).

The land use planning system advances and upholds provincial interests through a policy-led system largely implemented by municipalities through local planning documents (for example, official plans and zoning by-laws) and through the ministry’s one-window provincial land use planning approvals service. In addition, Minister’s Zoning Orders are used to streamline zoning approvals for priority initiatives/projects. The ministry provides a variety of mandatory and discretionary tools to support municipal implementation of the provincial land use planning framework at a local level.

In 2024–25, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the land use planning program:

• Continue to protect the Greenbelt for future generations through oversight of related legislation and regulations, the Greenbelt Plan, the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and the Greenbelt Council.
• Prepare and initiate the next ten-year review of the Greenbelt Plan, in conjunction with the review of the Oak Ridge Moraine Conservation Plan and Niagara Escarpment Plan as set out in legislation. The review is scheduled to commence by 2025 and will be guided by the three main values of the Greenbelt (preservation of water resources, preservation of agriculture, and preservation of natural heritage).
• Support the Minister in the making of Minister’s Zoning Orders for priority initiatives, such as attainable and affordable housing, transit-oriented communities and long-term care homes.
• Advance and uphold provincial interests and support municipal implementation of land use planning through a variety of legislative tools, and a coordinated inter-ministry one-window planning approach for provincial decisions. This will include ongoing work related to the review and approval of upper and single-tier municipal official plans and official plan amendments. Further, upon proclamation of relevant sections of Bill 23, the ministry would become the approval authority for lower-tier municipal official plans and official plan amendments in specified upper tiers (Durham, Halton, Niagara, Peel, Simcoe, Waterloo and York).
• Continue to provide technical support and guidance to municipalities to support municipal implementation of policy statements under the Planning Act, such as the Provincial Policy Statement, 2020, and changes to the Planning Act.
• Determine next steps for Inclusionary Zoning policy framework, including potential updates to legislation and/or regulation.
• Collaborate with the Federal government, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the province of British Columbia on standardized housing designs for low-rise residential housing types, including informing potential regulatory relief to fast-track approvals under the Planning Act.
• Work with partner ministries on development of streamlined planning approvals process for community service facilities, beginning with Kindergarten to Grade 12 public schools in 2024.
• Continue to support partner ministries as they undertake policy and program work with land use planning connections, including:
  • the Ministry of Transportation’s Transit-supportive guidelines updates and regional transportation planning
  • the Ministry of Energy’s renewable energy procurement
  • the Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks’ Environmental Assessment and Environmental Compliance Approvals modernization.
• Continue to support the development of Data Standards for the land use planning and development approvals. As part of the province’s response to the housing crisis, the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery, along with partners in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, are developing voluntary data standards featuring three components — common terminology, common municipal planning application forms, and platforms. The intent is to establish clear, uniform rules and guidance for how data is captured and used, enabling better system performance, a more consistent user experience, and greater data analysis within Ontario’s housing sector.
• Continue to support the implementation of the Minister’s Municipal Planning Data Reporting regulation that requires specific municipalities in Ontario to report information on planning matters. Through this regulation, the ministry collects information on planning matters that provides empirical evidence to support the development of housing and planning policy, provide necessary data to track the government’s commitment to build at least 1.5 million new homes by 2031, and enable the ministry to monitor trends and patterns over time.
• Seek input on an updated proposed provincial land use planning document called the Provincial Planning Statement, which was built from a housing focussed policy review in 2022–23 and integrates feedback received from consultation on a proposed Provincial Planning Statement in 2023, as well as additional government priorities. The proposed updated Provincial Planning Statement would replace the existing Provincial Policy Statement and A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Consultation is proposed to be open from April to May 2024. The new policy document would be targeting an effective date in Fall 2024. Should the government adopt the proposed policies, the government would consequentially revoke A Place to Grow, as well as amend regulations (O. Reg. 416/05 and O. Reg. 311/06) under the Places to Grow Act, 2005. The government would also propose a consequential administrative amendment to the Greenbelt Plan so that that policies in the current Greenbelt Plan are maintained.

Building regulation

This program establishes the policies, technical supports and regulatory system governing the construction, renovation, changes of use and demolition of buildings through administration of the Building Code Act and the Building Code regulation.

In 2024–25, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the building regulation program:

• Implement the next edition of Ontario’s Building Code, which was filed in April 2024, and will enhance the alignment of the technical requirements with the National Construction Codes, and implement timely adoption, consistent with the commitments made in the Construction Code Reconciliation Agreement under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement. The Agreement was signed by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing on August 27, 2020.
• Participate in the Federal-Provincial-Territorial work to transform the National Construction Codes system to be more nimble and responsive to provincial needs.
• Engage stakeholders and gather industry feedback on the proposed 2025 National Codes by pairing Ontario’s Building Code consultation with the National public consultation. These consultations aim to streamline code development and facilitate the adoption of proposed code changes into Ontario’s Building Code.
• Develop technical guides to support consistent implementation of Ontario’s Building Code and priority areas such as housing affordability and supply.
• Identify potential improvements to accessibility standards for the National and Ontario Building Codes in response to the forthcoming recommendations from the Built Environment Standards Development Committee under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
• Support a multi-sectoral working group that has been established to provide advice to government over the next year about potential Building Code amendments. These amendments are needed to allow certain temporary alternative health facilities and shelters, that were established during the pandemic in non-traditional buildings, to continue to operate while new, permanent facilities are constructed.
• Support the ongoing implementation and delivery of the government’s priorities by:
  • Expanding the use of Encapsulated Mass Timber Construction (EMTC) to eighteen storeys (from twelve storeys).
  • Assessing the complex Building and Fire Code design and safety issues related to allowing a single exit stair in small multi-unit residential buildings of up to four storeys and up to four units per floor along with compensating safety measures.
  • Formalizing the Ministry’s pre-Building Materials Evaluation Commission (BMEC) application protocol (i.e., concierge service) to help potential BMEC applicants receive clear, timely, and detailed support when applying to BMEC for authorization, and support innovation in Ontario’s building and construction sector.
  • Developing an “Innovative Construction Product Approval Guide” (Guide) to detail the multiple innovative construction product approval pathways available in Ontario.
  • Developing service improvements to enhance the ministry’s qualification program for building practitioners by: supporting building practitioners in their use of the ministry’s modernized Qualification and Registration Tracking System (QuARTS); assessing examination questions to better align with the requirements of Ontario’s Building Code; and partnering with Humber College and George Brown College to enhance data collection and sharing in support of their delivery and examination of Building Code knowledge.
  • Establishing an expert panel to deliver recommendations on streamlining approvals for modular housing.
  • Providing technical support on the Building Code Act, 1992 and Building Code, the Building Code Commission, the Building Materials Evaluation Commission, and the building and development process to promote increased compliance with building code requirements and efficient design and construction processes.

Disaster recovery financial assistance

The program delivers disaster recovery transfer payment programs, manages the ministry’s legislated emergency management program and represents Ontario’s interests in discussions on disaster recovery funding with federal, provincial and territorial counterparts.

In 2024–25, the ministry plans to undertake the following key activities in the Disaster Recovery Financial Assistance program:

• Respond to emergencies/disasters and deliver the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians and Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance programs to help people and municipalities recover after a natural disaster.
• Make recommendations for updates to Ontario’s disaster financial assistance programs, considering potential alignment with the new terms and conditions for the federal government’s Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements released in April 2024, as well as the outcomes of the 2019–2023 ‘Build Back Better’ pilot project under the Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance program, which provided funding to municipalities to improve infrastructure damaged in a natural disaster to be more resilient to future extreme weather.
• Engage with the federal government and provincial/territorial counterparts to modernize Canada’s approach to managing the financial impacts of natural disasters, including discussions on implementation of changes to the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements and participation in a task force on implementation of low-cost flood insurance in Canada.

2024–25 Strategic plan

MMAH will continue to deliver on an ambitious mandate to support the government’s commitment to cut red tape and speed up processes to build at least 1.5 million homes by 2031. The ministry will also work with partners across government and the province to help prevent homelessness and support the most vulnerable members of our society through longer-term housing solutions. MMAH will continue working with municipalities to ensure they have the tools and resources needed to deliver high quality services, encourage economic growth and build safe, strong and sustainable urban and rural communities.

Increasing housing supply

The ministry has made significant progress in tackling Ontario’s housing supply crisis by introducing a range of measures since 2019.

These are just a few of the many actions taken to increase Ontario’s housing supply:

• Assigning housing targets for fifty of the largest municipalities in the province and creating the $1.2 billion Building Faster Fund to incentivize municipalities to get more homes built.
• Investing up to $350 million to help municipalities modernize and streamline their approval processes.
• Increasing gentle density so up to three residential units are now permitted on most residential lots, without needing a by-law amendment.
• Committing $4.4 billion over the past three years in community and supportive housing programs.
• Making it easier to build more affordable and non-profit housing by eliminating development-related charges for these important types of housing.
• Encouraging development of more rental housing, with rental housing starts hitting the highest level on record in 2023.
• Implementing the 2.5% cap in 2023 and 2024 on rent increases for rent controlled units.

To get homes build faster going forward MMAH will also work on initiatives to:

• Let homebuyers and homebuilders decide on the number of parking spaces in new residential development near transit based on market needs.
• Make it easier to build more garden, laneway and basement suites.
• Prioritize infrastructure for ready-to-go housing projects with a new “use it or lose it” process to address stalled development.
• Streamline approvals for student housing.
• Support standardized designs to reduce building delays and costs, including for modular homes and innovative construction methods such as mass timber.

The work of the ministry is showing positive results. Over 109,000 new homes started construction in 2023, including long-term care units and additional residential units.

And nearly 19,000 new rental units started construction in 2023, the most on record.

Intended outcome: Key performance indicator

In increased supply and appropriate mix of affordable and adequate housing

Indicator: Cumulative count of new residential housing units built over the period of 2022–2031 to measure progress against the government's target of building at least 1.5 million homes by 2031

Target value: 1,500,000

Target date: 12-31-2031

Programs that contribute to the KPI result:

• Market Housing program
• Community Housing program
• Homelessness program
• Building Regulation program
• Land Use Planning program
• Municipal Finance and Governance

Preventing Homelessness

Whether it is not-for profit, cooperative or municipally owned — community housing provide vital, more affordable alternatives for those who are unable to access the private rental market. Complementing the work to unlock more market housing, the ministry continues to work on initiatives to make the community housing system more sustainable and efficient. Through the new Community Housing Renewal Strategy, launched in March 2022, MMAH will continue to work with community housing partners to implement regulations, support change management, and explore future opportunities for transformation. This includes working on guidance material to support the negotiation of new service agreements with housing providers to encourage them to remain in the system to protect the current supply of community housing.

MMAH will also continue its work to support local service managers and broader sector stakeholders to increase understanding Ontario’s Special Priority Policy and how to support the unique needs of households escaping abuse and trafficking to ensure that housing is not a barrier to leave an abusive situation.

The ministry will help people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless find the right housing services and other supports, through implementation of nearly $654 million in funding per year through the Homelessness Prevention Program and $41 million per year in funding through the Indigenous Supportive Housing Program. Through these programs local service managers and Indigenous Program Administrators have the flexibility to choose how to best allocate provincial funding in their community — where it is most needed — such as rent supplements, homeless shelters and supportive housing.

The ministry will also provide operating funding to the City of Toronto and City of Ottawa through their respective New Deals — contingent on federal funding — to support the unique shelter system pressures and needs of asylum claimants and refugees in these municipalities.

Subject to federal approval of Ontario’s 2022–25 Action Plan, the ministry will continue to administer federal funding under the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative, and federal-provincial funding under the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative and the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit.

Ontario will also continue to advocate in the best interests for the province’s most vulnerable and for municipalities to receive their fair share of funding from the federal government, which is underfunding Ontario by approximately $480 million under the National Housing Strategy and Reaching Home program.

Intended outcome: Key performance indicator

People have improved access to affordable housing and supports that meet their needs to achieve housing stability

Indicator: Increased percent of low-income Ontario households assisted in community housing programs

Target value: 6.1 (5-Year Target)

Target date: 04-01-2023 (and ongoing)

Programs that contribute to the KPI result:

• Community Housing
• Homelessness

Strong local governments

Ontario recognizes the tremendous value in its relationship with the province’s 444 municipalities. MMAH will continue to work with the sector to build a strong partnership that supports good local governance, equips municipalities to improve their communities and services for residents and promotes delivery on shared provincial-municipal priorities.

To support this relationship the ministry will actively engage municipalities through the Memorandum of Understanding with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Toronto-Ontario Cooperation and Consultation Agreement and participate in municipal association conferences and meetings.

MMAH will also monitor local implementation of the code of conduct framework, explore opportunities to help ensure that municipal workplaces are safe and respectful and continue to assess municipal capacity to manage finances and to deliver services and good governance. For those municipalities identified as requiring support, the ministry will support capacity building as required.

MMAH will also continue to gather data and local intelligence about municipal issues, challenges, and best practices to inform future provincial policy development and program design.

Intended outcome: Key performance indicator

Municipalities are financially sustainable

Indicator: Financial Resources Available to Pay for Known Financial Commitments

Target value: 333

Target date: 03-31-2022 (and ongoing)

Programs that contribute to the KPI result:

• Municipal Finance and Governance
• Disaster Recovery Financial Assistance

Detailed financial information

Chart 1: Investment by vote 2024–25 ($)

Note: Figures exclude consolidation adjustments.

Total operating and capital summary by vote

Note: Estimates, Interim Actuals and Actuals for prior fiscal years are re-stated to reflect any changes in ministry organization and/or program structure. Interim actuals reflect the numbers presented in the 2024 Budget.

Note: Estimates, Interim Actuals and Actuals for prior fiscal years are re-stated to reflect any changes in ministry organization and/or program structure. Interim actuals reflect the numbers presented in the 2024 Budget.

Note: Estimates, Interim Actuals and Actuals for prior fiscal years are re-stated to reflect any changes in ministry organization and/or program structure. Interim actuals reflect the numbers presented in the 2024 Budget.

Note: Estimates and Actuals for prior fiscal years are re-stated to reflect any changes in ministry organization and/or program structure.

Agencies, boards and commissions (ABCs)

There are six provincial agencies that currently report to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Building Code Commission

The Building Code Commission (BCC) is an adjudicative agency that resolves disputes on the technical requirements of Ontario’s Building Code. All administrative and technical support to the BCC is provided by ministry staff. The operating expenses for this commission are paid out of the Local Government and Planning Policy (Vote 1903)

Notes:

• The number of hearings is determined by the application rate. Expenditure Estimates are based on typical application rates (using historical data and projecting forward) and members’ per diem remuneration rates. Member per diem remuneration rates are established by the Management Board of Cabinet Directive applying to part-time Order in Council-appointed members.
• Operating expenses cover costs associated with hearings, administration, per diems for BCC members and reimbursement for out-of-pocket travel expenses related to hearings. These include hotel accommodations, meal allowances, parking and public transit in accordance with the Management Board of Cabinet’s Travel, Meal and Hospitality Expenses Directive. Note that ministry staff support costs are not reflected in any of the expenditure columns in the table above.
• Estimated revenues are based on an average of 35 applications per year. Application fees were established on January 1, 2014. Effective January 1, 2023, the fee is $212. In April 2023, the province announced the introduction of the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023 which received royal assent on June 8, 2023. The Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Plan referred to freezing 74 different provincial fees at the 2023–24 level. This included fees that directly or indirectly increase the cost of housing. As a result, the Building Code regulation was amended so that the 2023 Building Code Commission’s application fee of $212 remains in effect.
• The actuals for 2023–24 do not reflect the entire fiscal period. The numbers are actuals that cover the period from April 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023. Due to the use of remote hearings/meetings and reduced number of in-person hearings/meetings, travel expenditures were significantly reduced in 2023–24 and 2022–23.

Building Materials Evaluation Commission

The Building Materials Evaluation Commission (BMEC) is a regulatory agency that evaluates and authorizes innovative construction materials, systems or building designs where no criteria are set out in Ontario’s Building Code. All administrative and technical support to the BMEC is provided by ministry staff. The operating expenses for this commission are paid out of the Local Government and Planning Policy (Vote 1903).

Notes:

• The number of meetings is determined by the application rate. Expenditure Estimates are based on typical application rates (using historical data and projecting forward) and members’ per diem remuneration rates. Member per diem remuneration rates are established by the Management Board of Cabinet Directive applying to part-time Order in Council-appointed members.
• Operating expenses cover costs associated with meetings, administration, per diems for BMEC members and reimbursement for out-of-pocket travel expenses related to meetings. These include hotel accommodations, meal allowances, parking and public transit in accordance with the Management Board of Cabinet’s Travel, Meal and Hospitality Expenses Directive. Note that ministry staff support costs are not reflected in any of the expenditure columns in the table above.
• Effective January 1, 2018, the fee for applying to the BMEC was set at $11,000. Revenue Estimates are based on receiving six Commission applications per year based on the last Building Code cycle.
• The actuals for 2023–24 do not reflect the entire fiscal period. The numbers cover the period from April 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023. Due to the use of remote meetings and reduced number of in-person meetings, travel-related expenditures were significantly reduced in 2023–24 and 2022–23.

Greenbelt Council

The Greenbelt Council is an advisory agency, established under the Greenbelt Act, and provides the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing with advice on land use planning matters within and adjacent to the area defined as the Greenbelt Area. This includes implementation of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, Niagara Escarpment Plan, performance monitoring, ten-year reviews, land use planning and public education and outreach in order to ensure the objectives of the Greenbelt Plan are met.

Notes:

• Expenditure Estimates and Expenditure Actuals include the following related to the Greenbelt Council and its members:
  • Effective March 2018, council members are remunerated for time spent engaged in their duties, such as participating in meetings, in the form of per diems that are established by Order in Council 469/2018. Operating expenses also include member reimbursement for out-of-pocket travel-related expenses incurred in carrying out their duties (for example, public transit and parking), in accordance with the Management Board of Cabinet’s Travel, Meal and Hospitality Expenses Directive.
  • Administrative support to the council is provided by ministry staff. Operating expenses, and other administrative expenses as needed, for the Greenbelt Council are paid out of the Local Government and Planning Policy (Vote 1903).
  • Although the 2023–24 Interim Expenditure Actuals were minimal, the 2024–25 Expenditure Estimates assumes there may be a role for the Greenbelt Council in the ten-year review of the Greenbelt, of which the review is a legislative responsibility by 2025.
• The Greenbelt Council does not generate revenue or charge fees.

Toronto Islands Residential Community Trust Corporation

The Toronto Islands Residential Community Trust Corporation (the “Trust”) is a board-governed agency that manages the sale of houses and associated land leases of approximately 262 properties on provincially owned lands, and the maintenance and use of six community properties for the benefit of the Toronto Islands residents and the public. The provincially owned lands are on Ward’s and Algonquin Islands (part of the Toronto Islands).

The Trust does not receive any funding from the province and is self-sustaining through revenue generated from an annual levy charged to each Island leaseholder, rental income on the community buildings, administrative fees, and fees for Purchasers’ List and lottery applications. The Trust’s accounts are separate from those of the ministry and the province. The Trust is responsible for managing its own financial matters, including the completion of an annual financial audit. The audited financial statements are published with its annual report. The members of the Trust’s Board of Directors are not remunerated for their service to the Trust.

Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Team

The Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Team is an advisory agency established by the Minister pursuant to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Act. The Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Team is comprised of municipal leaders and industry experts which provides advice to the government on the implementation and evaluation of progress of Ontario’s housing supply action plans, and other issues as identified by the government.

Administrative support to the Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Team is provided by ministry staff.

Notes:

• Appointees (members) participate on a voluntary basis and are not eligible for remuneration.
• The agency does not generate revenue or charge fees.

Provincial Land and Development Facilitator

The Provincial Land and Development Facilitator is an advisory agency that is established under the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Act. The Provincial Land and Development Facilitator helps the province, municipalities, developers, businesses and community groups resolve issues related to growth management, land use and infrastructure planning, and environmental protection by providing impartial facilitation services or by acting as a negotiator on behalf of the province.

All administrative and technical support to the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator is provided by ministry staff. The operating expenses for this agency are paid out of the Municipal Services (Vote 1902).

Notes:

• Expenditures include office support costs, remuneration for the appointee(s) on a per diem basis as authorized in the Orders-in-Council and reimbursement for any travel and accommodation costs related to meetings and advisory activities in accordance with the Management Board of Cabinet’s Travel, Meal and Hospitality Expenses Directive.
• The agency does not generate revenue or charge fees.

Ministry organization chart

• Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing — Paul Calandra
  • Parliamentary Assistant, Municipal Affairs and Housing — Matthew Rae
  • Associate Minister of Housing — Rob Flack
  • List of Council, Commission and Corporations
    • Building Code Commission
    • Building Materials Evaluation Commission
    • Toronto Islands Residential Community Trust Corporation
    • Greenbelt Council
    • Provincial Land and Development Facilitator
    • Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Team
  • Deputy Minister, Martha Greenberg
    • Director, Special Projects — Karl Frost (A)
    • Director, Special Projects — Wendy Ren (A)
    • Executive Assistant — Melissa Mobilio (A)
    • Municipal Services Division — Hannah Evans, ADM
      • Municipal Services Office Central Region — Laurie Miller, Regional Director (A)
      • Municipal Services Office Central Region — Allyson Switzman, Priority Projects Director (A)
      • Municipal Services Office Western Region — Ian Kerr, Regional Director
      • Municipal Services Office Northern Region — Bridget Schulte-Hostedde, Regional Director
      • Municipal Services Office Eastern Region — Jen Liptrot, Regional Director
      • Municipal Programs and Analytics Branch — Helen Collins, Director (A)
    • Local Government Division — Caspar Hall, ADM
      • Municipal Finance Policy Branch — Ruchi Parkash, Director (A)
      • Intergovernmental Relations and Partnerships Branch — Laura Evangelista, Director
      • Local Government Policy Branch — Jasmine Gujral, Director
    • Business Management Division — Amanda Lui, CAO/ADM
      • Corporate Services Branch — Alyssa Cates, Director (A)
      • Controllership and Financial Planning Branch — Chris Skubel, Director (A)
      • Human Resources Strategies Branch — Suzana Ristich, Director
      • Community Services Audit Service Team — Gord Nowlan, Director
    • Market Housing Division — Sebastian Franks, ADM (A)
      • Market Housing Policy Branch — Mavis Fung, Director
      • Market Housing Policy Branch — Sarah Hubbs, Director (A)
    • Community and Supportive Housing Division — Angela Cooke, ADM
      • Community Housing Policy Branch — Dan Lawrence, Director
      • Housing Programs Branch — Tanisha Lewis, Director
      • Finance, Analysis and Accountability Branch — Keley Katona, Director
    • Communications Branch — Burke Christian, Director
    • Legal Services Branch — Stephen Lockwood, Director
      • Legal Services Branch Deputy Director — Claire Young
    • Planning and Growth Division — Sean Fraser, ADM
      • Building and Development Branch — Mansoor Mahmood, Director
      • Planning Policy Branch — Charlene Cressman, Director (A)
      • Provincial Land Use Plans Branch — Anna MacDonald, Director
    • Community Services I&IT Cluster — Rocco Passero, CIO/ADM
      • Strategic Planning and Business Relationship Management — Sachin Jain, Director
      • Case and Grant Management Solutions — Sanaul Haque, Director
      • Data Collection and Decision Support Solutions — Carm Scarfo, Director
      • iACCESS Solutions — Farshad Mahlooji, Director

Notes:

• Community Services Audit Service Team Director: Dual reporting relationship with CIA, Ontario Internal Audit Division, Treasury Board Secretariat and ADM, BMD for administrative purposes
• Communications Branch Director: Dual reporting relationship with the Deputy Minister of Communications and the Deputy Minister of MMAH
• Legal Services Branch Director: Dual reporting relationship with MAG and MMAH (to CAO for administrative purposes; to Deputy for legal services)
• Community Services I&IT Cluster CIO/ADM: Dual reporting relationship with Corporate Chief Information Technology Officer and MMAH

Appendix: 2023–24 annual report

Ministry’s achievements in 2023–24

Market housing

Over the course of the past year, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, as the provincial lead on market housing, and in collaboration with partner ministries, supported the introduction of and implemented legislative and policy changes to advance the government’s long-term strategy to address the housing crisis and build at least 1.5 million homes by 2031 through the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants, released on April 6, 2023. This set of initiatives further lays the foundation for growth so more homes can be brought online to address the chronic and severe shortage of housing options. The plan brings forward actions to help tenants and landlords, streamlining land-use planning policy, helping homebuyers, build capacity to speed up approvals and reduce the cost of building homes. The associated legislation, Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023, received Royal Assent on June 8, 2023.

As a result of the actions to date addressing market housing, Ontario’s housing construction activity has trended upwards. Despite major global and national economic challenges, Ontario achieved 99% (109,011 units) of its province-wide housing target of 110,000 units in 2023, as measured by new housing construction as well as additional residential units and both newly constructed and upgraded long term care beds. New housing construction (measured by housing starts) was particularly robust, with just under 90,000 homes starting construction in Ontario in 2023, the third highest number of starts since 1989 (after 2021, 2022). This is around 20% higher than the annual average for the past twenty years. Nearly 19,000 new purpose-built rental housing units started construction in 2023, a 27.3% increase from 2022 and the highest level of rental housing starts on record for the second successive year.

In addition, the ministry continued work with Infrastructure Ontario and partner ministries to leverage surplus provincial lands for priority housing outcomes, such as to build more new affordable housing and attainable ownership units. MMAH is working on developing the attainable housing program which would leverage surplus government lands and modular manufacturing where site density permits.

Residential tenancies

For market rental housing, the ministry announced the 2024 rent increase guideline at 2.5%. The guideline is based on Ontario’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of inflation calculated monthly by Statistics Canada using data that reflects economic conditions over the past year. When the CPI rises significantly, the guideline is capped at 2.5% to help protect tenants from significant one-time increases.

The ministry also provided ongoing public education and raised public awareness about key topics such as landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities under the Residential Tenancies Act and the Commercial Tenancies Act, including recent amendments. This was achieved through:

• Responding to a high volume of correspondence and calls from landlords and tenants for assistance (i.e., responded to over 653 inquiries related to rental housing).
• Making timely updates to webpages that inform tenants and landlords about their rights and responsibilities.
• Providing information sessions and webinars upon request by stakeholders and the public.
• The ministry’s Rental Housing Enforcement Unit’s focused efforts on landlord tenant rights and obligations on offences under the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA).

Results achieved: Building at least 1.5 million homes by 2031

The ministry had the following key results and achievements in 2023–24:

Ontario has set a goal of building at least 1.5 million homes by 2031 and has assigned the province’s 50 largest municipalities with housing targets to help meet this goal. The ministry tracks the following data against housing targets for 2031:

• yearly new home construction starts
• additional residential units (ARUs) such as laneway, garden and basement suites added to existing homes
• new and upgraded beds in long-term care homes

109,011 new homes were created in 2023, which is 99% of the 110,000 target for new homes in 2023 and around 7% of the province’s long-term goal. A total of 216,227 new homes were created in 2022 and 2023 combined, accounting for around 14% of the province’s long-term goal.

Notes:

• For 2023, 109,011 total new homes are broken down as follows:
  • 89,297 housing starts
  • 9,879 additional residential units
  • 9,835 long-term care beds
• For 2022, 107,216 total new homes are broken down as follows:
  • 96,080 housing starts
  • 10,658 additional residential units
  • 478 long-term care beds

Community housing

New regulatory framework for community housing

On March 30, 2022, the government announced a new regulatory framework for community housing that responds to extensive consultation with the sector. All changes took effect by July 1, 2023. MMAH is working with sector partners on guidance material to support implementation, including negotiation of service agreements. The new framework is intended to stabilize the community housing system for those who live and work in it by:

• Encouraging housing providers to remain in the system by signing service agreements. This will protect critical community housing supply and encourage housing providers to continue to offer deeply affordable rents for tens of thousands of Ontario households.
• Requiring service managers to set local income and asset limits and continue to prioritize survivors of abuse and trafficking for rent-geared-to-income assistance.
• Improving efficiency and updating accountability rules to encourage new programs that meet local housing needs.

To support the sector, the ministry partnered with the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada’s in support of their ‘Strengthening the Housing Sector’ initiative. This funding is helping their members successfully transition to the new regulatory framework under the province’s Community Housing Renewal Strategy.

The ministry also supported the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association with their Sector Transformation Expertise Program, a program designed to match housing providers with third-party expertise to co-design their transformation strategy.

Special Priority Policy (SPP) guide for Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) assistance

The SPP is a provincial policy under the Housing Services Act, 2011 that provides survivors of abuse and trafficking with priority access to RGI assistance.

In response to feedback on the need for improved understanding of the SPP and the experiences of survivors of abuse and trafficking, the ministry developed a guide to the SPP. The guide was developed in collaboration with inter-ministerial partners and with input from municipal and Indigenous partners, housing sector stakeholders, organizations serving various populations, such as violence against women and anti-human trafficking service providers, and survivors of abuse and trafficking.

The ministry released the SPP guide on March 5, 2024 to service managers, service providers who work with survivors, inter-ministerial partners, and broader sector stakeholders. The guide is intended to support service managers who administer the SPP and service providers who work with survivors. It provides information on the SPP rules and related rules for RGI assistance, supports and services for survivors, and training opportunities for service managers and service providers.

A new webpage was also developed to provide survivors, service providers and the public with general information on the SPP and RGI assistance, how to apply through a local service manager, and other supports and services for survivors.

Social housing mortgages

The Province became responsible for facilitating the mortgage renewals and tracking for the federal/provincial non-profit housing project mortgages in 2001 and acts as a liaison between the lender and the housing provider/agency. All time-limited mortgages under legacy social housing programs will come to an end by 2032.

In 2023–24, the ministry implemented strategic modernizations and improvements on how the ministry administers social and supportive housing mortgages in Ontario. This included the development of a new database in November 2023, and information sessions across all regions for service managers and housing providers to support and build capacity in the sector related to the mortgage administration.

Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB)

The COHB is a nine-year joint federal-provincial housing allowance program that increases the affordability of rental housing by providing an income-tested, portable housing benefit directly to eligible households in housing need that are on, or are eligible to be on, social housing waiting lists.

As of February 2024, over 26,000 households have been approved for monthly housing benefits under the COHB program since April 1, 2020.

In 2023–24, the ministry invested an additional $42 million through the COHB program to support the City of Toronto and 22 other impacted municipalities across the province in providing urgent assistance to a rapidly growing number of asylum claimants and other at-risk populations. This funding assisted approximately 4,000 additional new households, helping move more people into longer-term housing while freeing up existing shelter spaces in impacted communities.

In March 2024, an additional $2.23 million was invested to support the City of Toronto to assist approximately 300 additional new households.

Investments provided to service managers and Indigenous Housing Providers

In 2023–24, the ministry provided approximately $215 million in capital and operating investments to community housing through service managers and Indigenous housing providers under the Canada-Ontario Social Housing Agreement, and ongoing affordability payments under the Affordable Housing Program.

The ministry also provided approximately $466.4 million in capital and operating funding to service managers and Indigenous Program Administrators under the National Housing Strategy programs.

Results achieved: Access to affordable housing

The ministry had the following key results and achievements in 2023–24:

Through its programs, the ministry is making progress to improve access to affordable housing, which includes people having improved access to affordable housing and supports that meet their needs to achieve housing stability. This is measured through an increased percentage of Ontario households assisted in community housing programs.

Chart 2: Percentage of Ontario households assisted in community housing programs since 2018–19

Image

Statement of result:

The percentage of Ontario households assisted by community housing programs has increased substantially since the 2018 baseline (5.80%).

This indicator is based on two values: the numerator is the number of households assisted across community housing programs and the denominator is the estimated number of Ontario households.

The results presented reflect data up to 2022–23 as the data for 2023–24 are not yet available. It is anticipated that data for 2023–24 will be available in August 2024.

Homelessness

These programs provide a flexible array of services and supports to help those who are homeless — and those at risk of homelessness — to become stably housed or avoid becoming homeless in the first place. Additionally, the ministry has been working across government on supportive housing, as it is recognized as an effective way to prevent and address homelessness and prevent the unnecessary use of other costly provincial systems (for example, emergency shelters or emergency rooms).

Multi-ministry supportive housing initiative

In the 2019 provincial budget, the government committed to reviewing Ontario’s supportive housing programs to identify opportunities to streamline and improve coordination, so that people get the help they need. The ministry has been working closely with the ministries of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS) and Health (MOH) on this initiative. Accomplishments to date include:

• Completing a cost avoidance review of supportive housing to help inform ongoing efforts to improve supportive housing in Ontario.
• Consolidating the former Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative, Home for Good and the Strong Communities Rent Supplement Program into the Homelessness Prevention Program, so that service managers and other program delivery partners are able to spend more time on serving clients than administrative tasks.
• Requiring that all service managers continue to maintain a By-Name List of people experiencing homelessness, with the additional implementation of new By-Name List data requirements by April 1, 2023, to help connect clients to housing and supports.
• Funding increases to the Homelessness Prevention Program and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program (as outlined further below)
• Ongoing collaboration with MCCSS and MOH on:
  • The development of a pre-screening framework to help people navigate towards the right housing and supports
  • The establishment of local integrated supportive housing planning requirements to coordinate supportive housing across the housing, health and community services sectors.

Supportive housing/homelessness prevention investments

As part of a Multi-Ministry Supportive Housing Initiative, MMAH, MOH and MCCSS each consolidated their supportive housing programs to reduce administrative burden, so service managers and other service providers have more time to serve clients. In 2023–24, Ontario invested an additional $202 million annually in homelessness prevention programs to help those experiencing or at risk of homelessness and to support community organizations delivering supportive housing. The increased funding brings the total yearly funding for the Homelessness Prevention and Indigenous Supportive Housing Programs to nearly $700 million.

As well, in 2023–24 the ministry introduced a revised funding model to better reflect the current need for homelessness services and supportive housing in community across Ontario. Funding dollars were increased to address increased needs, particularly during a time of rising inflation, and to help ensure no service manager received a decrease in funding compared to 2022–23 as a result of the transition to the new model. The program supports service managers to provide affordable housing and supports for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

The Indigenous Supportive Housing Program (ISHP) is specifically designed to be administered by Indigenous organizations. This program helps Indigenous people experiencing homelessness to access housing assistance and supports to become stably housed. In 2023–24, $41.5 million in funding — including $10 million in operating funding dedicated to supporting Indigenous individuals with mental health and/or addictions challenges that was incorporated into ISHP — was made available to the two Indigenous Program Administrators.

ISHP funding can be used for longer-term housing solutions such as supportive housing, transitional housing, rent supplements and housing allowances, and help to avoid emergency-based responses like shelters. It provides a secure, predictable source of funding for Indigenous organizations to deliver culturally appropriate supportive housing services to support the health and well-being of Indigenous people in their communities.

Provincial operating funding to address pressures in the shelter system

The province is supporting the cities of Toronto and Ottawa given the unique challenges they face as Canada’s business and financial centre and national capital, respectively, including the rise in homelessness and the resulting pressures in their shelter systems.

In Fall 2023, a Toronto-Ontario New Deal Working Group of provincial and municipal officials was established with a mandate to develop recommendations that would improve the long-term stability and sustainability of Toronto’s finances and to consider ways in which the City of Toronto, the Province of Ontario and the Federal Government could advance shared priorities.

An agreement was reached which included provincial operating funding of $600 million to address pressures in the City’s shelters and homelessness supports — $200 million in each of 2023–24, 2024–25 and 2025–26. While the province has approved funding of $200 million to reimburse the City for eligible costs incurred in 2023–24, funding for the remaining two years is contingent on a federal funding commitment to support the shelter needs of refugees in Toronto.

The Province of Ontario and the City of Ottawa also came to an agreement on commitments from the City of Ottawa and supports from the province to advance shared priorities that contribute to economic recovery and sustainable growth in the nation’s capital, as outlined in the Ontario-Ottawa Agreement through the Ottawa Consultation Mandate: Term Sheet, March 28, 2024.

A key component of the supports the province is providing to the City of Ottawa is a funding allocation of $40 million for a shelter component in 2023–24. A further $80 million in funding is conditional on federal supports. This funding is to address the unique shelter and homelessness needs of the City of Ottawa.

Provincial capital funding supports for municipal priorities

The province provided capital funding support of over $24 million to the City of Ottawa for a priority project to create 138 units of affordable and supportive housing in the community. The project proposes to provide supports for seniors, Indigenous households and persons with developmental disabilities. Families and individuals residing in the City’s emergency shelter system or at off-site facilities such as motels will be targeted. The project is nearing completion.

To help address the urgent local need for housing and shelter services in the County of Northumberland, the province provided capital funding support of close to $2.5 million to the County to convert a Seniors Residence into a shelter, warming hub and transitional housing. Anticipated to open in spring 2024, the vision is for a multi-purpose facility with approximately 35 emergency shelter spaces — available to all gender identities and couples — to address immediate need. Over the longer-term, transitional housing accommodations and other services will create pathways out of homelessness in the community.

Outbreak management planning

Throughout the pandemic, the ministry was focused on protecting the health and safety of vulnerable people in Ontario. Outbreak management planning initiatives were an important part of this focus. Initiatives completed in 2023–24 include the following:

• Continuing to support service managers and Indigenous Program Administrators with the acquisition of critically-needed personal protective equipment and high efficiency particulate air filters through provincial supply channels overseen by Centralized Supply Chain Ontario (Supply Ontario)
• Continuing to work with the Ministry of Health to support the operation of Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Hubs. Hubs are typically public health units or hospitals that offer assistance to congregate living settings (for example, emergency shelters and supportive housing facilities) with activities such as education and training, facility audits, and operating procedures to limit the spread of illnesses within facilities. Service managers and Indigenous Program Administrators are eligible to receive assistance from IPAC Hubs, along with local housing and homelessness service providers in their communities.

Monthly emergency shelter capacity and usage data collection

MMAH introduced a new reporting process in January 2024 to collect monthly information on shelter usage and capacity to be able to monitor demand and pressures in emergency shelter systems in all service manager areas. Summary data is collected monthly on temporary and permanent shelter capacity, number of clients served, the number of clients who are asylum claimants, number of clients living outside of the shelter system, and occasional related questions on topics such as winter shelter planning.

By-name list implementation

In March 2021, MMAH introduced a requirement for service managers to implement By-Name Lists by December 31, 2021. A By-Name List is a real-time list of people experiencing homelessness in a community that includes information about individuals’ needs to connect people to a range of housing options and supports and improve service coordination. As of January 1, 2022, all 47 service managers had a By-Name List in place.

In April 2022, MMAH released new By-Name List requirements that built on the previous requirements and support the Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP) goals of addressing and reducing homelessness. The new requirements include a more extensive set of data points, and broader coverage and comprehensiveness that helps service managers connect more people to the services and supports they need. These new requirements were implemented by service managers by April 1, 2023. As a condition of HPP funding, service managers are required to maintain a By-Name List in accordance with provincial requirements.

MMAH worked in partnership with the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH), from 2021–22 to 2023–24, to provide support to service managers to meet the By-Name List requirements. CAEH provided service managers with technical training, coaching, and data systems support, as well as access to webinars, Community of Practice calls, workshops, tools and an on-line portal focused on new By-Name List requirements.

Municipal finance and governance

Strengthened relationship with municipalities

In 2023–24, the ministry continued to work closely with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the City of Toronto. As per the joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the ministry engages with AMO on initiatives that impact municipalities. In the past year of reporting, five formal meetings were held with AMO under the MOU. During the in-person AMO Conference in 2023, the ministry coordinated nearly 600 delegations and six multi-minister meetings. The ministry coordinated a further 480 municipal delegation meetings at the Rural Ontario Municipal Conference in January 2024. MMAH also facilitated fourteen meetings between the province and the City of Toronto to discuss initiatives with potential impacts to the city under the Toronto-Ontario Cooperation and Consultation Agreement (TOCCA).

In June 2023, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing chaired the annual meeting of Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Local Government, supported by the ministry, to advance progress on shared priorities and supporting local governments.

The ministry also played a key role in reaching two New Deals with Ontario’s largest municipalities — the cities of Toronto and Ottawa — to respond to local financial challenges. The New Deal for Toronto provided significant operating and capital funding to support the City’s pressure points: $1.2 billion for operating pressures, including up to $600 million over three years to address shelters deficits and longer-term capital funding, including the upload of municipally-owned highways. The Ontario-Ottawa agreement committed to provide up to $543 million in operating and capital funding tailored to fueling Ottawa’s economic recovery and accelerating revitalization of the downtown core.

In 2023–24, the ministry successfully concluded the Municipal Modernization Program by working with small, rural municipalities to complete 180 implementation projects. Since its launch in 2019, the program has supported over 770 municipal projects, allowing municipalities to undertake service delivery reviews and implement shared services initiatives, digital modernization, process improvements and other projects to achieve costs savings and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their services.

In 2023–24, the ministry also successfully concluded the Streamline Development Approval Fund, which enabled Ontario’s 39 largest municipalities to streamline approvals and unlock housing supply. A Municipal and Industry Technical Advisory Tables on Municipal Development-related Charges was established, consisting of experts in municipal finance, land-use planning, housing development, law, and other related fields. The ministry consulted with these Tables and through the AMO-MOU and TOCCA agreements, on both potential changes to the municipal development charges-related framework to inform future legislation and to inform the implementation of changes made under previous legislation. The Table’s advice informed the government’s decision to update the definition of affordable residential units for the purposes of determining eligibility for municipal development-related charge discounts and exemptions through Bill 134, the Affordable Homes and Good Jobs Act, 2023. This definition of affordable housing now incorporates income factors in addition to market factors, which aligns with the definition currently in effect in the Provincial Policy Statement, 2020 that is familiar to municipal and industry stakeholders. The ministry also consulted these Tables on proposals to support municipalities’ ability to fund growth-related infrastructure and accelerate housing development projects, including the requirement to phase in development charges over five years and the removal of studies as an eligible capital cost for development charges.

The ministry introduced the St. Thomas - Central Elgin Boundary Adjustment Act, 2023 which consolidated a new investment-ready mega site in St. Thomas to attract large-scale advanced manufacturing investments (for example, Volkswagen). Subsequently, the ministry amended the Act to provide an exemption to St. Thomas from the anti-bonusing provisions of the Municipal Act, 2001 to enable the municipality to provide certain financial assistance as part of the PowerCo. SE. project. In addition, the ministry updated its main data collection tool of financial and statistical information on municipalities, the Financial Information Return (FIR), to align with evolving Public Sector Accounting Board (PSAB) standards, provincial legislation, and stakeholder data needs. This updated process also included improvements aimed at streamlining the FIR template to make it more user-friendly. The update supports the submission of accurate and timely data by municipalities, the pertinence and usability of data for FIR users, and the comparability of FIR data across time and municipalities.

Over the past year, the ministry also expanded the strong mayor framework to 44 additional municipalities that committed to their provincially assigned housing targets. The ministry continues to support the implementation of the strong mayor framework in 46 municipalities where the mayors have additional powers and duties to move forward on shared provincial-municipal priorities, including building at least 1.5 million new homes by 2031.

Previously, legislation was introduced that would dissolve the Regional Municipality of Peel as of January 1, 2025, and appointed a transition board to help ensure the process was fair and balanced by overseeing Peel and its lower-tiers’ financial affairs and making recommendations on implementing the restructuring. In December 2023, the ministry supported the government’s announcement that it would introduce legislation to end the dissolution process and recalibrate the mandate of the transition board to focus on making local government in Peel Region more efficient and responsive to the needs of residents and taxpayers.

The ministry also supported the government’s participation in the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy’s Regional Governance Study in 2023–24 and seven public hearings were held to understand local views and proposals related to local governance structures and service delivery across seven two-tier municipalities.

Land use planning

A number of changes to the Planning Act and other legislation and policies under the ministry’s jurisdiction were undertaken in 2023–24 to support government priorities.

• As part of delivering on the government’s commitment of building 1.5 million new homes in Ontario, 29 lower- and single-tier municipalities were assigned housing targets to be achieved by 2031. Municipalities were requested to complete Housing Pledges that would identify the tools and strategies to achieve their housing targets and submit the pledges to the ministry. Note that the tools and strategies identified in municipal pledges can be broader than just those related to land use planning and may be related to other areas.
• As part of Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023, on April 6, 2023, the ministry filed the Municipal Planning Data Reporting regulation (O. Reg. 73/23), which requires municipalities to report information on specific land use planning matters. The regulation applies to the 29 largest and fastest-growing municipalities in Ontario. The regulation requires that municipalities to report information on planning matters on a quarterly and annual basis based on calendar year. The intent of the regulation is to enable the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to collect consistent and accurate data on key metrics that could support public reporting and inform evidence-based decisions on land use planning policy.
• As part of More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, consultation was undertaken from April 6, 2023 to August 4, 2023 on a proposed Provincial Planning Statement (PPS). The proposed Provincial Planning Statement was an outcome of a housing focused policy review that is intended to enable municipalities to accelerate the development of housing and increase housing supply (including rural housing), through a more streamlined, provincewide land use planning policy framework. After seeking input, an updated proposed Provincial Planning Statement, with new and updated policies, responsive to consultation input, was developed for further consultation.
• Bill 97, the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023 made change to the Planning Act to: narrow the definition for “area of employment”, broaden appeal rights for interim control by-laws, defer the requirement for municipalities to refund zoning by-law and site plan application fees until July 1, 2023, create regulation-making authority to the Minister to prescribe specific circumstances where site plan control could be used for residential developments with 10 or fewer units (for example, land near a railway line), provide the Minister with the authority to exempt “downstream approvals” related to a Minister’s Zoning Order from being subject to provincial plans, the PPS and municipal official plans, and provide the Minister with the authority to require owners of land associated with projects assigned to the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator (PLDF) to enter into agreements with the Minister and/or municipalities before they can undertake development activities.
• On August 9, 2023, O. Reg. 254/23 (Planning Act) and O. Reg. 255.23 (City of Toronto Act) were filed to set out the conditions under which municipalities may use site plan control for residential developments of 10 or fewer units on a single parcel. The regulations specifically permit the use of site plan for parcels of land: 1) Any part of which is located within 120 metres of a wetland, lake, or river (including creeks and streams); and/or 2) Any part of which is located within 300 metres of a railway line including active, heavy rail, but does not include light rail or decommissioned or abandoned railway lines.
• Bill 136, the Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023 restored all areas removed from or redesignated within the Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine Areas in 2022 by incorporating the description of the Greenbelt Area and Oak Ridges Moraine Area boundaries directly into the legislation. It also eliminates the authority to add or remove lands to/from the Greenbelt Area and Oak Ridges Moraine Area by regulation. Among other changes, the Act restores the same protections for easements and covenants on the lands in the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve that they had before the 2022 amendment.

Operational implementation

Throughout 2023–24, the ministry worked with inter-ministerial partners and municipalities to implement and uphold matters of provincial interest and provincial land use planning policy, including the Provincial Policy Statement and the four major provincial land use plans — the Greenbelt Plan, Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (A Place to Grow), the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and the Niagara Escarpment Plan.

This past year, the ministry supported the making of ten Minister’s Zoning Orders and three Minister’s Zoning Order amendments to accelerate critical priority projects that will enable more long-term care beds, increase the availability of housing and hospital beds, facilitate municipal economic development opportunities, and protect public health and safety.

The ministry also issued its second Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator order to support the development of a residential housing development.

Building regulation

Harmonization of construction codes

The ministry continued to work with the National Research Council and other provinces and territories on the implementation of the Construction Codes Reconciliation Agreement and the continued transformation of the national code development system.

Transformation of the national code development system is occurring in phases over the course of the current code cycle to ensure a seamless operational transition. MMAH, along with the other parties, are also working to find more efficient streamlined procedures to make construction codes.

The National Research Council is currently consulting on the 2025 National Construction Codes, with a series of public reviews expected by the end of 2024. The ministry is encouraging Ontarians and all in the building sector to participate in those consultations because the code changes proposed in these consultations will be considered for adoption in the next edition of Ontario’s Building Code.

Ontario’s Building Code

Throughout the 2023–24, the ministry continued drafting the next edition of Ontario’s Building Code. In addition, the analysis of a multi-phase consultation was completed.

The first phase took place in fall 2021 and focused on reducing existing variations with the National Construction Codes as well as updating some Ontario-specific provisions.

The second phase took place in winter 2022 and proposed Code changes that would align Ontario’s Building Code with the 2020 National Construction Codes.

The third phase proposed Code changes that would update additional Ontario-specific provisions and follow-up on stakeholder concerns raised in previous phases. This phase was open October 2022 and closed in December 2022.

In addition to receiving feedback through postings on the Regulatory Registry of Ontario and the Environmental Registry of Ontario, the ministry held engagement sessions with internal and external partners and stakeholders.

The next edition of Ontario’s Building Code received approval in March 2024 and was filed on April 10, 2024.

Building Code amendments

In fiscal 2023–24, the ministry filed a number of amendments to the Building Code.

On May 12, 2023, the ministry filed Ontario Regulation 89/23 to support housing supply and building innovation. These changes came into force on the day they were filed:

• Midrise Wood Construction: These changes are intended to reduce costs for certain building types and harmonize requirements with the National Construction Codes on four to six storey wood buildings, including multi-unit residential.
• Stacked Townhomes: These changes are intended to reduce costs for certain building types, by removing standpipe requirements for four storey stacked townhouses, while maintaining the objectives of fire protection, life safety and health.
• Applicable Law: Minister’s Orders under section 34.1 of the Planning Act (using the community housing and infrastructure accelerator tool) become applicable law for purposes of issuing a building permit.

On December 14, 2023, the ministry filed Ontario Regulation 390/23 to freeze 16 provincial Building Code fees at their current levels, including fees starting January 1, 2024, for those who want to become building practitioners as well as application fees for the Building Code Commission, Building Materials Evaluation Commission and Minister’s Rulings.

On February 26, 2024, the ministry filed Ontario Regulation 73/24 to address changes made to the Environmental Assessment Act by updating applicable law to apply requirements only to designated projects identified in regulation or projects set out in approved Class Environmental Assessments.

On March 28, 2024, the ministry filed three amendments:

• Ontario Regulation 155/24 to change the definition of a temporary health or residential facility. No new temporary facilities can be created or occupied after March 31, 2024.
• Ontario Regulation 156/24 to extend existing Building Code exemptions for temporary health or residential facilities until March 31, 2025.
• Ontario Regulation 158/24 to address changes regarding how permits are issued under the Conservation Authorities Act by updating applicable law to include permits issued by a conservation authority and by the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry

A new model for municipal intern inspectors

In April 2022, the ministry amended Ontario Regulation 451/22 of the Code to help municipalities address labour supply shortages in the building sector. The ministry hosted a working group of municipal building officials in March 2023 to review and provide feedback on draft program guidelines designed to support municipalities in their work to design and administer internship programs. This support material was finalized and published in July 2023 on Ontario.ca for municipal building departments looking to establish their own programs and prospective interns seeking to enter one of the programs.

By March 2024, five municipalities have adopted policies for the design and implementation of their own local internship programs: the Township of South Stormont and Township of North Dundas, in the United Counties of Dundas, Glengarry and Stormont; the Town of Renfrew; the City of Brockville; and the City of Pickering. The ministry continues to field inquiries from other municipalities interested in developing local capacity to recruit and retain qualified building officials through an intern inspector program.

Enhancing the process for the qualification of building practitioners

The ministry posted a discussion paper outlining potential changes to its qualification program for building practitioners on the Environmental Registry of Ontario that closed for comments in February 2023. Following this time, the ministry made two changes in response to comments received:

• As of May 2023, all candidates were provided the option to use the digital Building Code Compendium during exams, in addition to the continued use of the hardcopy version.
• As of July 2023, candidates taking any of the 16 exams were allowed more time per exam question, as the number of questions per exam was reduced from 75 to 70.

Further enhancements that respond to feedback are currently under review and consideration.

Digital Building Code

The ministry developed a digital version of the 2012 Building Code Compendium that was first made available upon request on March 4, 2022. A digital Building Code Compendium offers an additional format for accessing code materials that may be more convenient for some users, including on a portable electronic device to conduct inspections of new houses and buildings on a construction site.

In October 2023, the ministry released its third major update of the digital version of the Code to include Building Code Amendments up to May 12, 2023.

In 2023–24, a total of 7,720 requests were fulfilled, representing an increase in demand of over 10% from the previous fiscal year. By the end of 2023–24, the ministry had responded to a total of over 17,000 requests for digital copies of the Code since it was released in March 2022.

QuARTS improvements

In March 2024, the ministry successfully launched a modernized Qualification and Registration Tracking System (QuARTS), the IT system used by building practitioners (building officials, designers, design firms, septic installers and Registered Code Agencies) to register their qualifications with the ministry. QuARTS is used by over 7,000 building practitioners to update their qualification and registration information online, and to help the government regulate safety and compliance in Ontario’s building industry.

Modernizing QuARTS created a more efficient and user-friendly system for building practitioners and the public. The new location-based search makes it easier for all Ontarians looking to hire a qualified building practitioner in their area, optimized for use on mobile devices.

Disaster recovery financial assistance

Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians program

The Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians program helps homeowners, tenants, small owner-operated businesses and farms, and not-for-profit organizations get back on their feet after a natural disaster. The program helps eligible applicants cover emergency expenses, return their homes to a safe and habitable condition and get small businesses up and running again.

In 2023–24, the program was activated for three floods:

• Ottawa River, May 2023 (parts of the City of Ottawa, Township of Laurentian Valley and Township of Whitewater Region)
• Town of Iroquois Falls and adjacent unincorporated territory, May 2023
• Southwestern Ontario, August 2023 (Town of Amherstburg, Town of Essex, and parts of Town of Kingsville, Municipality of Lakeshore, Township of Warwick and Municipality of Southwest Middlesex

In 2023–24, the ministry administered applications from these three activations and 10 previous disaster events. In total, the ministry issued over 180 decisions to applicants, including interim payments, final payments and decline notices; made payments totalling over $2.85 million to eligible applicants; and closed over 120 applications.

Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance Program

The Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance (MDRA) program provides financial assistance to municipalities affected by natural disasters for emergency response and repair or replacement of damaged municipal infrastructure. The program was activated for one municipality in 2023–24:

• Township of Chisholm (May 2022 wildfire), up to $88,814
• The ministry continued to administer 27 claims from previous disasters and made final payments for nine of these. Payments totalling $4.45 million under the MDRA program were made in 2023–24.

National Disaster Mitigation Program

The National Disaster Mitigation Program (NDMP) was a federal program that offered funding for flood mapping and flood mitigation projects. The ministry administered the program in Ontario and flowed federal funding for projects through to municipalities, conservation authorities and other eligible recipients.

The NDMP had been extended to 2022–23 to enable the implementation of approved projects to be completed. During 2023–24, the ministry completed financial and project reporting to the federal government for all expenditures incurred by transfer payment recipients under the program up to the closing date of March 31, 2023. Over the life of the program, there were 238 NDMP projects approved in Ontario for a total of $48.9 million in federal funding.

Wheatley Residents Assistance Program

In 2021–22, the ministry created a special Wheatley Residents Assistance Program to help people who were evacuated from their homes in the community of Wheatley in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent following a subsurface gas explosion. The program supported evacuated residents with housing costs up to March 31, 2024.

Ministry Emergency Management Program

Under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, all ministries are required to maintain an emergency management program to ensure the Ontario government is ready to respond when emergencies and disasters occur. The ministry maintains a strong program focused on the ministry’s Order-in-Council responsibility to plan for emergencies that require coordination of extraordinary provincial expenditures, including provision of disaster financial assistance.

In 2023–24, ministry staff updated the Ministry Emergency Response Plan with specific attention to obligations under the province’s Foreign Animal Disease Emergency Response Plan. The Ministry Action Group participated in a provincial exercise in October to test the plan and the ministry's preparedness for a foreign animal disease outbreak (specifically African Swine Fever). Lessons learned will be incorporated into future iterations of the Ministry Emergency Response Plan. The ministry completed all legislated requirements for the 2023 calendar year and expects its program to be assessed as fully compliant with the provincial legislation.

2023–24 Results

Notes:

• Interim actuals reflect the numbers presented in the 2024 Budget.
• Staff strength: Ontario Public Service Full-Time Equivalent positions.