Municipal climate plans under threat by new Ontario housing bill, critics say [Video]

A major piece of Toronto’s climate plan appears to be in the Ontario government’s crosshairs, critics warn, as the province advances a bill that could strip municipalities of their power to set green building standards.

More than a dozen Ontario municipalities have followed Toronto’s lead by pushing developers to design more energy efficient buildings with lower greenhouse-gas emissions, beyond what’s required by the provincial building code’s minimum standards.

Now Premier Doug Ford’s government, with backing from some developers, may be ready to turf those municipal green standards as part of its stated effort to fast-track home construction.

A spokesperson for Ontario’s housing minister says changes under Bill 17, introduced this month, would “clarify” that municipalities don’t have the authority to “require their own unique standards that supersedes the Ontario building code.”

“This will help standardize construction requirements and provide consistency, setting the same set of rules for everyone in Ontario, …