The City of Toronto seeks to accelerate housing construction by offering free design plans for laneway and garden suites, aiming to reduce costs and speed up permit approvals. Mayor Olivia Chow stated that these pre-approved plans comply with the Ontario Building Code and eliminate the need for architects. However, critics highlight the limited availability of suitable properties for these suites and express skepticism about their effectiveness in addressing the housing affordability crisis. Experts advocate for more small apartment buildings to better meet Toronto's housing needs, as current suite completion rates are deemed insufficient.
"It's simple: Toronto is growing and we must lower the cost of building homes and make it easier, and approve them faster," Chow said at a news conference Friday.
"Anything that helps reduce the cost of development and gets things built faster is a win," Bertolo said. "Unfortunately I think that laneway housing and garden suites aren't going to be a big part of the solution to the housing affordability crisis."
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