UPDATE: On the afternoon of June 3, 2025, Doug Ford's government pushed through Bill 17.
Unfortunately, even though there have been significant concerns about the effect that this Bill would have on municipal environmental programs like the Toronto Green Standard for new buildings, the Ford government chose to fast track its approval. This meant that, unlike most Bills, the provincial government did not hold any committee meetings — which is where experts and stakeholders like the City of Toronto would usually make statements and deputations for staff to review.
We're still working out exactly what this means for Toronto. In the meantime, stay tuned for more updates.
Developers have been pushing hard to eliminate green building standards in Ontario, so they can make more profit and leave homeowners and renters with higher energy bills and emergency recovery costs. Instead of the provincial government protecting Ontarians by ensuring more resilient communities and energy-efficient buildings, they are doing the opposite.
Premier Ford is speeding through a hasty bill - Bill 17 - which could axe green development standards across Ontario and undermine local control of how our cities are built. TEA is fighting back alongside many others - you can raise your voice here to your MPP and local City Council.
What's more, the Ford government eliminated any committee hearings on Bill 17. This is a key process where municipalities and other impacted parties can recommend positive changes to bills and raise potentially harmful unforeseen impacts. Since this bill could eliminate the ability of municipalities to implement green building standards that protect homes and communities in a changing climate, rushing it through with no consultation or hearings is reckless and irresponsible.
What does Bill 17 do?
For a City like Toronto, where there’s been a Green Standard for new homes and buildings for fifteen years, it means that Bill 17 may destroy Toronto’s ability to set green standards for new buildings. Developers have already been meeting these standards for many years - moving backwards to lower standards just doesn’t make sense.
Green development standards help ensure new buildings and the communities around them are more resilient to floods and extreme heat, more energy-efficient, and build in more green infrastructure like trees and green roofs. In Toronto, our award-winning set of green standards has not slowed down new housing. Toronto has managed to exceed its provincial housing targets with its own green development standards firmly in place since 2010.
These are exactly the kind of policies we need in a climate crisis: tools that gradually make buildings greener on a predictable schedule that developers can adapt to well in advance. That’s why Toronto Environmental Alliance is calling on the Province to protect municipalities’ ability to set effective local standards for green buildings.
We need local green buildings standards
As the climate continues to heat up, we need to both cut emissions and protect families from extreme weather. To do this, It’s important that local communities maintain the ability to set effective local green building standards. Without them, there could be serious, expensive consequences that could worsen health and long-term affordability.
During Vancouver's 1980s building boom, developers were allowed to use standards and guidelines that did not take local environmental conditions into account. What followed was the leaky condo crisis, where an astonishing forty-five percent of all condo units built between 1980 and 2000 leaked. Walls rotted with mold, requiring expensive repairs. Lawsuits and bankruptcies were widespread across the Vancouver area. Today, many condo units are still undergoing repairs. The leaky condo crisis almost certainly contributed to Vancouver surpassing every other Canadian community to become the most expensive real estate market in the country starting in the 1990s. [1]
We need to ensure that local communities can continue to have a say on how buildings in their communities are built. After all, Brampton, Ottawa, and Thunder Bay are all unique communities with different environmental conditions throughout the year, and are each facing unique climate change challenges into the future. With Toronto getting hit with massive flooding almost every summer, why on earth would we remove one of our best tools to make sure properties absorb rainwater before it hits our overloaded storm sewer system and backs up into people’s basements?
We need to make sure that local communities are able to build green and climate-safe homes. Don’t let your government cave to developer interests again.
Click here to send a message to your political representatives now.
[1] Sources:
https://www.rew.ca/guide/articles/a-short-history-of-the-leaky-condo-crisis https://lclawyers.com.au/leaky-building-syndrome-a-comparison-between-australia-canada-and-nz/