Doug Ford's 'red-tape' cuts save Ontario developers $400M a year

Developers are among the biggest beneficiaries of red-tape reduction measures brought in by Premier Doug Ford's government, saving hundreds of millions of dollars a year in costs, CBC News has learned.  

Since taking office in 2018, Ford's Ontario PCs have brought in 12 bills focused on cutting what they describe as red tape. Their most recent legislation – the Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act – received royal assent in June. 

The government has claimed that its bills cut the costs of complying with provincial regulations by $1.2 billion a year and save people 1.5 million hours of administrative paperwork. 

But until now, the government had not made public any details of how it arrived at those figures, or where the savings went. 

Government officials have now provided a breakdown to CBC News. Among the highlights:

CBC News requested an interview with Mike Harris Jr., appointed as Minister of Red-Tape Reduction in Ford's cabinet shuffle last month. Officials said he was not available, however he provided a statement by email. 

"Ontario's comprehensive red tape reduction efforts have streamlined regulations, stimulated economic growth, fostered innovation, and led to the building of more homes to meet growing demand," Harris said in the statement.

The government provided CBC News with details of each measure that it says brings more than $10 million in cost savings annually. Together these account for more than 80 per cent of the $1.26 billion in total annual savings.

Topping the list: more than $250 million saved by banning municipalities from imposing minimum numbers of parking spaces in new housing projects around transit hubs, a measure in the government's recent Bill 185. 

"The removal of minimum parking requirements in protected major transit station areas and other areas around transit will reduce costs for property owners and developers," Justine Teplycky, director of communications for Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra, said in an email. 

"Removing parking minimums near transit stations can save an average of $50,000/new home constructed," she said.  

NDP Leader Marit Stiles questions how the provincial government can take credit for all of those savings given that Toronto city council already scrapped minimum parking requirements in 2021.

"I have never really trusted this government's claims when it comes to savings of either either time or money, and I certainly don't trust their math," Stiles said in an interview. 

She also has doubts about the second-biggest item on the list of red-tape savings: $160 million annually from capping the fees that school boards can levy on new housing developments.