Calandra says he's committed to achieving the Ford government's goal of building 1.5 million new homes by 2031
The province's new Housing Minister says he's committed to helping the province reach its housing goals.
Paul Calandra told reporters today that the Ford government's goal of building 1.5 million news homes by 2031 is a priority, but he dodged questions regarding development on Greenbelt lands.
Despite a report suggesting the targets can be reached without making any changes to the Greenbelt, Calandra said the report didn't account for expected population growth.
"The task force’s report did not at the time contemplate the enormous amount of growth that the province was going to see, not only from outside of the country but also from other parts of Canada," he said.
"We are seeing tremendous growth in the province of Ontario, this is a very exciting and encouraging time for the people of this province. We need those 1.5 million homes."
Calandra also noted proposed development of the protected lands would go forth under certain conditions.
"Do we need to build on the Greenbelt? Well we’re moving forward with building on the Greenbelt if, as I said yesterday, after the facilitator has completed her work, it meets the standards that we’ll be setting with respect to the full Greenbelt review then we will move forward with that," he said.
"If it doesn’t, the land will be returned back to the Greenbelt."
He adds the province will prioritize housing development in areas along transit routes and existing infrastructure.
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