Ontario to launch audits of six municipalities’ housing finances
Global News
Municipalities have been raising concerns about a housing law, that, in part, freezes, reduces and exempts fees developers pay on certain builds such as affordable housing.
Ontario’s minister of municipal affairs and housing says he is moving forward with audits of six municipalities to see if there will be any “potential or perceived” financial hits from a provincial housing law.
Municipalities have been raising concerns about a housing law, that, in part, freezes, reduces and exempts fees developers pay on certain builds such as affordable housing.
Those fees go to municipalities to pay for infrastructure to support new homes, such as roads and sewers, and they say the provincial changes will leave them $5 billion short.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark has expressed some skepticism about the impacts, and in late November he announced he would launch third-party audits of “select” municipalities.
Today Clark announced that he’s looking for auditors to go over the books of Toronto, Newmarket, Peel Region, Mississauga, Caledon and Brampton _ the latter three are part of the upper-tier municipality of Peel Region.
A statement from Clark does not explain why he chose those municipalities, but says the province will ensure there is no funding shortfall “for housing-enabling infrastructure” as a result of the law, as long as municipalities meet the housing targets he assigned them.
Budget 2025 has $160 million for wildfire personnel, equipment, training and contracts, but the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees worries funds will focus on gear, not people.
Quebec provincial police, the fire department, paramedics and representatives from the group managing the bridge were called to the scene.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday that tariffs on Canada and Mexico are still coming, but that President Donald Trump would determine the level of the levies.
Two men remain in critical condition following a home explosion Friday in Langley, B.C. One woman is still missing, and RCMP cannot confirm if she was in the home at the time.
After floating the idea of potential tariffs on lumber, President Donald Trump ordered a probe into U.S. imports that must be completed within 270 days.
Despite an explosive exchange in the Oval Office, the Kyiv-Washington relationship is not lost, analysts say, but future U.S. support in the war effort is still undetermined.
St. Mary's Academy says the decision to shutter the program was driven by operational and resource requirements.
A recent survey from CIBC said that two-thirds of Canadians say recent economic changes, including inflation and the cost of living, have made them adjust retirement plans.
A Halifax man died after he was taken into custody Friday night for what police described as a mental health episode. The provincial police watchdog is investigating.
A B.C. entrepreneur experienced a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounter this week when a pod of dolphins chased him down while he was shooting a video on his personal watercraft.
A new idea has emerged in G7 capitals in recent years — using the cash in frozen Russian accounts, or interest earned on those accounts, to help fund Ukraine's defence.
As Ontario is still working to clean up after the back-to-back winter storms, cities like Waterloo and Toronto face challenges with snow storage facility infrastructure.
Transport Minister Anita Anand says she plans to run for re-election amid President Donald Trump's tariff threats, a shift from her original plans earlier this year.