Ontario 'Fair Housing Plan' Proposed to Curb Skyrocketing Housing Costs

Housing prices have increased 33 percent compared to the previous year in Toronto, and now the provincial government is snapping into action.

1 minute read

April 20, 2017, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Toronto

Javen / Shutterstock

"[Ontario] Premier Kathleen Wynne is slapping a 15 per cent 'non-resident speculation' tax on foreign investors to help cool down southern Ontario’s scorching real estate market," reports Robert Benzie.

The 15 percent surcharge on offshore speculators is just one component of what Benzie describes as a "massive plan to improve housing affordability." Other proposals include a "clampdown on domestic housing speculators," improved transparency on the bidding war that have driven up prices, and rent control. The government of Ontario has created a website to explain the Fair Housing Plan in more detail

In a separate article, Bezie provides more details on the 15 percent surcharge on offshore speculators.

Thursday, April 20, 2017 in The Toronto Star

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 28, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and yellow DART light rail train in Dallas, Texas with brick building in background.

DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process

The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.

May 28, 2025 - Mass Transit

Screenshot of shade map of Buffalo, New York with legend.

Interactive Map Reveals America's “Shade Deserts”

Launched by UCLA and American Forests to combat heat-related deaths, the tool maps the shade infrastructure for over 360 U.S. cities.

June 3 - UCLA Newsroom

Close-up of person putting sticker on back of basket of electric tricycle with mock license plate reading "E-TRIKE."

Bicycles and Books — In Sacramento, Libraries Now Offer Both

Adult library card holders can check out e-bikes and e-trikes for up to one week.

June 3 - The Sacramento Bee

Large pile of unsorted garbage in landfill with birds flying above at sunrise or sunset.

Colorado Landfills Emit as Much Pollution as 1M Cars

Landfills are the third-largest source of methane pollution in Colorado, after agriculture and fossil fuel extraction.

June 3 - Colorado Newsline

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.