Pledging to make “unnecessary delays” in building new homes in the province a thing of the past, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced a $45 million fund to cut red tape and speed up the process of managing and approving applications for building new homes.

Ford, who with his municipal affairs and housing minister Steve Clark met virtually with big city mayors and regional chairs in the province Wednesday to discuss the housing crisis in Ontario and work together to come up with strategies to increase housing supply, said the new Streamline Development Approval Fund will assist Ontario’s 39 largest municipalities modernize and accelerate the home-building process.

Municipalities could, for example, use the money to put in place online systems that make it easier for applicants seeking to build homes to navigate the development approvals process, manage their applications and get timely updates on the status of those applications, the province says.

Zoe Knowles, a spokesperson in Clark’s office, said the ministry is reaching out to municipalities to provide details on how this money can be accessed. Initial funds are expected to flow this coming April, she said.

Additionally, the premier announced Wednesday that $8 million is also being spent to assist large urban centres in Ontario identify possible savings and efficiencies through “third-party reviews” — reviews that could help speed up the creation of new housing.

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