Updated July 2026. Ontario’s Bill 60 — the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act — passed third reading and became law on November 24, 2025. It’s a sprawling omnibus statute amending 15 existing laws, aimed at speeding up construction and infrastructure approvals. Half a year on, here’s what it actually changed, why it was controversial, and what it means for people living in (or moving to) Ontario.
What Bill 60 Does
The law’s core theme is removing procedural steps the government considered delays to building:
- Planning and appeals: narrows who can appeal certain municipal planning decisions and shortens approval pathways for designated projects
- Environmental assessment: streamlines assessment requirements for classes of infrastructure projects
- Municipal powers: constrains some municipal development-charge and site-plan requirements that the province viewed as slowing housing starts
- Expropriation and permitting: accelerates timelines for priority transit and highway projects
Why It Was Controversial
Critics — municipalities, environmental groups, and some legal scholars — raised three main objections:
- Reduced local input: limiting appeal rights shifts power from communities and councils to the province
- Environmental oversight: streamlined assessments mean some projects proceed with less scrutiny than before
- Omnibus scope: amending 15 statutes in one bill limited line-by-line legislative scrutiny of each change
Supporters answered that Ontario’s housing shortage and infrastructure backlog are themselves the emergency, and that approval timelines measured in years were the single biggest brake on supply.
What It Means in Practice
- Renters and buyers: the law bets that faster approvals eventually translate into more housing supply. Any price effect is long-term; nothing in Bill 60 changes rent rules or purchase costs directly (see our Toronto housing costs outlook)
- Construction workers and trades: a thicker project pipeline supports labour demand in the trades — relevant for immigration candidates targeting construction occupations, which both federal and Ontario programs prioritize
- Homeowners near designated projects: fewer avenues to appeal or delay nearby developments and infrastructure
Where Things Stand Now
Implementation continues through regulations rolled out in 2026 — the bill set the framework, but the practical effects arrive as ministries designate projects and municipalities adjust processes. Legal challenges to specific provisions have been threatened by advocacy groups; none has so far overturned any core part of the law. The official text is on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario site.
Related Guides
- Toronto housing costs in 2026
- Renting in Canada as a newcomer
- The $50,000 first-time buyer GST rebate explained
This is a plain-language summary of complex legislation, not legal advice. For how Bill 60 affects a specific property or project, consult a municipal or planning lawyer.
Want to know exactly where you stand? Our personalized report covers your CRS score, the PNP and Express Entry categories you actually qualify for, and a realistic next-step plan.
