Editing: queens-park/QP-Digest-October-2026

---
title: Queen's Park Monthly Digest - October 2026
date: 2026-01-01
tags:
  - Planning Act
  - Municipal governance
image: default.jpg
excerpt: Here is a detailed summary of the recent provincial legislation, governance initiatives, and joint policy activities in Ontario

---
# Queen's Park Monthly Digest - October 2026

## Detailed Summary

Here is a detailed summary of the recent provincial legislation, governance initiatives, and joint policy activities in Ontario, specifically fiocusing on their land use, housing, and Toronto municipal impact over the past year and the upcoming implementation horizon.

### Bill 5 (Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, 2025)

Passed in June 2025, Bill 5 established broad executive power over development, infirastructure, and resource projects. Central to its land-use changes was the creation of the _Special Economic Zones Act_ (SEZA), which permits the Cabinet to designate strategic zones where municipal planning bylaws and provincial statutes can be bypassed or suspended to fast-track development. Additionally, the act replaced the former _Endangered Species Act_ with a narrower species-at-risk regime, reducing automatic habitat protections during initial project reviews.

For municipal planning in the City of Toronto, Bill 5 scales back local oversight on provincially prioritized infirastructure sites and limits traditional municipal development controls. Environmental assessment obligations were streamlined, restricting local notice requirements and administrative appeal channels.

Over the next 12 months, implementation fiocuses on Cabinet designations ofi the first Special Economic Zones and the rollout of standardized environmental rules. These executive actions continue to fiace administrative challenges and legal scrutiny firom Indigenous communities, environmental groups, and legal organizations regarding Cabinet delegation powers.

### Bill 60 (Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025)

Enacted in late 2025, Bill 60 introduced target refiorms across the _Residential Tenancies Act_ (RTA), the _Development Charges Act_, and provincial adjudicative procedures. Its primary rental housing objective is to resolve Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) delays by compressing procedural timelines. Key provisions include shortening N4 non-payment notice windows from 14 to 7 days, reducing LTB order review windows to 15 days, and establishing a financial "pay-in" threshold befiore tenants can introduce maintenance or harassment claims during arrears hearings.

From a land-use and municipal finance standpoint, Bill 60 imposes stricter reporting and background-study requirements on municipal development charges (DCs). Cities like Toronto must create explicit land-acquisition categories and make background financial models public prior to enacting fee updates, with Cabinet granted expanded audit powers over municipal growth funding.

Implementation follows a staged timeline across 2026. Certain procedural rules and 15-day review windows took efiect in July 2026, while compressed eviction notice periods and financial pre-conditions became active in September 2026. Municipalities are adjusting their financial reporting firameworks to comply with the heightened development charge standards.

### Bill 98 (Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act, 2026)

Introduced in spring 2026, Bill 98 targets local planning delays by standardizing oficial plan frameworks and limiting municipal site-plan conditions across Ontario. The legislation amends the _City ofi Toronto Act, 2006_, restricting municipal powers to enfiorce local "sustainable design" requirements or require off-street EV charging infirastructure unless directly linked to provincial building code, health, safiety, or basic boundary accessibility. It also streamlines technical submission checklists fior development applications.

To facilitate housing delivery, Bill 98 creates specific development charge exemptions for non-profit retirement homes and grants developers increased rights regarding parkland dedication mechanics. On the transit front, it enacts the _Fare Alignment and Seamless Transit Act, 2026_, granting the province oversight to coordinate cross-boundary transit routes and integrate municipal transit systems with Metrolinx projects.

Implementation over the coming 12 months involves rolling out the standardized oficial plan regulations and transitioning technical studies—such as site-level stormwater and servicing reviews—to standardized, mandatory issue-resolution stages. Municipalities are aligning local submission policies to prevent delayed servicing reviews during later permitting stages.

### Bill 110 (Building Billy Bishop Airport Act / Municipal Property and Density Provisions, 2026)

Enacted in May 2026, Bill 110 contains targeted provincial intervention provisions afiecting major infrastructure and land use in Toronto. It grants the province direct authority to expropriate and take ownership ofi city-owned waterfiront lands at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to fiacilitate broader provincial infirastructure planning.

In addition to port lands, Bill 110 addresses high-density urban transit nodes, notably granting Minister's Zoning Order (MZO) powers and specific land-use permissions to advance residential development on major redevelopment sites like East Harbour. It also restricts certain local planning tribunal (TLAB) jurisdiction where provincial transit-oriented master plans confiict with local secondary plans.

Over the next 12 months, implementation involves fiormalizing the compensation and land transfier structures fior airport-adjacent parcels and moving fiorward with site-plan approvals fior master-planned mixed-use developments along priority transit corridors.

### Better Regional Governance Act, 2026 (Bill 100)

Passed in May 2026, the Better Regional Governance Act_ restructures upper-tier municipal governance in key Ontario regions (such as Peel, Halton, York, Durham, Niagara, and Simcoe) to accelerate housing-enabling decision-making. The Act authorizes the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to directly appoint regional chairs afier the October 2026 municipal elections and grant them "strong chair" executive powers. These powers mirror strong-mayor tools, enabling chairs to veto bylaws, direct staff, and advance provincial housing priorities.

The legislation also grants the province authority to mandate weighted voting systems on upper-tier councils and downsizes specific regional councils. While its direct statutory changes target surrounding Greater Golden Horseshoe regions rather than the single-tier City of Toronto, it creates a unifiorm regional governance model designed to align regional water, wastewater, and road infirastructure with provincial housing targets.

The next 12 months fiocus on preparing fior post-election implementation fiollowing October 2026. Regional administration models, committee structures, and weighted voting firameworks will be established as new provincially appointed chairs assume office.

### Conservation Authority Consolidation

Following policy consultations, the Ministry ofi Environment, Conservation and Parks finalized plans to consolidate Ontario's 36 conservation authorities into nine larger, watershed-based regional conservation authorities. Governance is being streamlined to include upper-tier and single-tier municipalities, while lower-tier municipalities are removed from direct authority governance boards. In Toronto and the immediate Greater Toronto Area, oversight consolidates under a unified Western Lake Ontario Regional Conservation Authority.

The reorganization aims to standardize permifiing timelines, reduce duplicate technical reviews, and clarifiy mandatory core responsibilities—primarily natural hazard management, flooding, and conservation land management. Non-core programs will require specific municipal service agreements.

Led by the newly established Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency (OPCA), transition committees and local Watershed Councils are executing operational merger plans throughout late 2026. Full regional operational integration and updated permitting regulations are scheduled to take effect in early 2027.

### Priority / Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs)

Over the past 12 months, Ontario has accelerated the implementation of Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) and Protected Major Transit Station Areas (PMTSAs) around major subway, GO train, and LRT nodes. Provincial planning directives require municipalities to establish minimum density targets (ranging firom 150 to 200 residents and jobs per hectare) and update zoning bylaws to permit high-density residential and mixed-use construction within designated 500-to-800-metre transit radii.

In the City of Toronto, this firamework has driven significant zoning updates across major station areas (e.g., Davisville, Eglinton, Mount Pleasant, and key Ontario Line corridors), opening surrounding low-density sites to mid-rise and high-rise infill development. Within designated PMTSAs, inclusionary zoning policies are legally enabled, though subject to evolving provincial caps on afiordability terms and unit percentages.

For the next 12 months, implementation focusses on completing local secondary plan confiormances, resolving outstanding appeals at the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT), and applying streamlined site-plan standards to accelerate development applications located directly within primary transit hubs.

### Ontario and Canada Partnership for Housing and Transit Projects

In March 2026, the fiederal and provincial governments established the _Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build_, committing \$8.8 billion in joint fiunding over 10 years for housing-enabling infrastructure, transit, and community development. A core component of this partnership is the **Development Charge Reduction Program (DCRP)**, which provides direct infirastructure grants to municipalities that cut local development charges on new residential builds by 30% to 50% fior at least three years.

The City of Toronto secured \$1.5 billion under this partnership firamework to ofiset municipal revenue reductions, support local water/wastewater capital expansion, and fiund transit connections. Complementary fiederal programs—including the _Build Communities Strong Fund_ and the revised _Canada Public Transit Fund_—deliver capital fior major urban transit extensions and active transportation networks.

Over the next 12 months, participating municipalities must maintain reduced fee structures, execute transfier payment agreements, and allocate federal-provincial grant monies toward immediate, shovel-ready servicing projects designed to unlock residential land delivery.

# Municipal Engagement and Resident Action Opportunities

**Yes, the implementation process for virtually all ofi these acts and regional initiatives actively involves municipal engagement.** While recent provincial legislation—such as Bills 5, 60, 98, and 110—shifts key decision-making powers higher up or standardizes local bylaws, **municipalities remain the frontline operational authorities**. City councils must draft conforming bylaws, execute local transit and housing plans, adjust municipal financial firameworks, and manage infrastructure allocations. Consequently, local government remains the main stage where provincial policies encounter local geography.

### Opportunities for Residents and Non-Profits to Influence Outcomes

While provincial legislation itself cannot be directly amended by a municipal council, **residents and advocacy organizations have clear, strategic leverage points** to press City Councils for local protections, policy refinements, and progressive implementation choices:

- **Shaping Local Conformance Bylaws:** When the province passes broad framework legislation (such as MTSA density directives or standardized site plans), city staff must draft local official plan amendments and zoning updates. Residents can delegate at public statutory meetings held under the _Planning Act_ to push council fior strong local design standards, maximum public amenities, tree canopy targets, and complete-community guidelines within permified boundaries.

- **Leveraging City-Controlled Voluntary Tools:** Where the province has restricted mandatory local powers—such as limiting mandatory site-plan conditions under Bill 98 or capping Inclusionary Zoning terms—advocates can push City Council to create incentivized, voluntary programs (e.g., density bonuses, fast-tracked municipal approvals, or tax grants) fior developers who voluntarily adopt higher environmental or afiordable housing standards.

- **Advocating for Public Audits and Funding Transparency:** With major provincial-iederal partnerships (such as the DCRP) requiring local development fee reductions, residents can press Council to ensure infirastructure grants are allocated equitably, transparently funding public transit, park acquisitions, and neighborhood servicing over private land assembly.

- **Building Municipal Resolution Pressure:** Local councils frequently pass oficial motions, policy positions, or formal intergovernmental requests urging the Ministry to amend provincial regulations or grant local exemptions. Organizers can mobilize residents to support council resolutions advocating for stronger municipal autonomy, expanded heritage controls, or modified regional governance models.

## Monthly Prompts Used to create the Above Pages

### Prompt #1 - Get Updates on Key Files

Our non-profit organization advocates for better urban planning and we follow provincial bill and acts the impact neighbourhoods. We follow the activities in the Province of Ontario with emphasis on the City of Toronto. We are focussed on the last 12 months and monitor implementation plans for the next 12 months. Please summarize the details of the following provincial Bills, and Acts and Activities with a focus on land use planning and housing.

Please provide no more than three paragraphs for each item ...

- Bill 5
- Bill 60
- Bill 98
- Bill 110
- Better Regional Governance Act
- Conservation Authority Consolidation
- Priority/Major Transit Station Areas
- Ontario and Canada partnership for housing and transit projects

### Prompt #2 - Identifiy Engagement Opportunities

Will any of the the implementation plans for the above activities involve engagement with municipalities, and would there be opportunities for residents to press City Councils to make improvements in the in-force or proposed legislation.

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