October 28, 2026
The Ontario government has introduced the Building Ontario Faster Act, 2026, proposing changes aimed at accelerating permitting and approvals, reducing infrastructure construction timelines and removing regulatory barriers for businesses and workers. The government says the legislation and associated measures could eliminate nearly 220,000 days of permit processing time while supporting infrastructure investment, labour mobility and economic development across the province.
A central component of the proposed legislation is Ontario’s ongoing review of all 375 business-facing provincial permits.
The government has committed to reviewing every permit over three years, with a goal of eliminating, streamlining or transforming between 35 and 50 per cent by the end of 2028.
According to the province, 51 per cent of the 375 permits have already been reviewed during the first year of the initiative, with 65 per cent of those reviewed permits eliminated, streamlined or transformed.
The government says the broader permitting reforms are expected to save businesses nearly 220,000 days that would otherwise be spent navigating approval processes.
Several measures proposed or previously announced as part of the Building Ontario Faster Act directly affect construction and infrastructure delivery.
Ontario says changes could reduce the construction timeline for the Highway 69 expansion by as much as five years.
The province is also proposing measures intended to accelerate other critical infrastructure while supporting its $236 billion capital plan covering roads, hospitals, transit and other public infrastructure.
Another initiative would create a digital map of underground infrastructure. The government says providing project teams with more reliable information about underground assets could improve planning, reduce construction delays and enhance worker safety.
The legislation also proposes updates to Ontario’s heritage framework and related approval processes.
The province says the changes are intended to improve efficiency and predictability while maintaining protections for archaeological sites and cultural heritage resources.
According to the government, proposed changes could reduce archaeological approval timelines by as much as 80 per cent, potentially allowing housing and infrastructure projects to move into construction sooner.
Ontario is proposing changes to environmental approval processes intended to reduce duplication and more closely align requirements with approaches used in other Canadian provinces and territories.
The government says the changes would focus regulatory resources on environmental protection while improving approval efficiency and economic competitiveness.
The legislation would also address Ontario’s waste management capacity as the province responds to U.S. tariffs affecting Canadian waste products entering the United States. Measures would seek to reduce Ontario’s reliance on U.S. landfill and waste storage capacity.
The Building Ontario Faster Act also proposes reducing barriers for workers in regulated professions and occupations who are already certified elsewhere in Canada.
By streamlining certification requirements, Ontario aims to make it easier for qualified workers from other provinces and territories to work in the province.
For construction and infrastructure employers, greater interprovincial labour mobility could help improve access to skilled workers as Ontario delivers major housing, transportation, energy and public infrastructure programs.
The legislation extends beyond conventional construction permitting into energy, mining and development-related approvals.
Ontario says it plans to further streamline or remove requirements and permits associated with opening or expanding mines. The province is also pursuing changes intended to support electricity infrastructure as demand grows.
Agricultural and agri-food businesses would also see permitting changes intended to reduce approval delays and costs.
The Building Ontario Faster Act, 2026 follows several previous pieces of legislation focused on regulatory reform, including the Protect Ontario by Cutting Red Tape Act, 2025, Building a More Competitive Economy Act, 2025, and Protecting Ontario’s Workers and Economic Resilience Act, 2026.
The latest legislation brings together permitting reform, infrastructure acceleration, labour mobility and regulatory modernization under a broader effort to make project approvals and business investment more predictable.
If passed, the measures could affect how quickly infrastructure, housing, mining, energy and other development projects move through provincial approval processes and into construction.
For Ontario’s construction industry, the practical impact will depend on how the proposed reforms are implemented and whether reduced approval timelines translate into faster project delivery while maintaining required safety, environmental and heritage protections.
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