LONDON, ON – Today Premier Doug Ford announced the Building Faster Fund, a three-year, $1.2 billion program that provides significant new funding based on performance against provincial housing targets for municipalities. Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) are thankful for a funding program directed towards the servicing and infrastructure that is needed to reach our housing goals.
Municipalities are committed to doing our part to ensure that we get building permits out in a timely manner, but we do not build homes. OBCM has asked to work in partnership with the province, the federal government and other partners in the home building process in the recent report “Working Together to Build 1.5 Million Homes.” This has to be a collaborative effort so we can identify the barriers and solutions to meeting our housing targets, and hold everyone accountable for their part in getting homes built faster.
“Our municipalities are committed to reaching our housing goals as we have shown through our housing pledges to the province, “ said Marianne Meed Ward, Mayor of Burlington and Chair of OBCM. “We ask the province to work with us to ensure targets are related to areas within municipal control, which are policies and permits. We also look forward to further discussion to ensure all municipalities are kept whole for development charge credits for affordable housing.”
OBCM looks forward to hearing more details on the Building Faster Fund, and we hope that the province will include Ontario’s Big City Mayors in the consultation process to ensure the voice of big cities are heard, and we are able to receive the funding we need to do our part to reach our shared housing goals.
About Ontario’s Big City Mayors
Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM), formerly known as the Large Urban Mayors’ Caucus of Ontario, includes mayors of 29 single and lower-tier cities with a population of 100,000 or more, who collectively represent nearly 70 percent of Ontario’s population. OBCM advocates for issues and policies important to Ontario’s largest cities.
Media Contacts
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Chair Michelle Baker, Executive Director
chair@obcm.ca michelle@obcm.ca
905-335-7777 647-308-6602