How 2 foes came together to pitch Ontario a new approach to the housing crisis [Video]

At the beginning of the year, a lobby group representing Ontario’s developers released a comprehensive report laying out how the fees homebuilders have to pay have increased, making it harder to kickstart new homes that people can afford.

The Ontario Home Builders Association released its development charges study in January, advocating for a more uniform approach across the province to provide stability.

The 65-page document caught the attention of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, a group which has often fought against suggestions by developers that the fees they pay to cities should be reduced.

The group viewed the latest report — on modernizing rather than scrapping development charges — as a chance to compromise.

“This was much more targeted and focused on improving the current regime and really recognizing the importance of the development charge,” Lindsay Jones, the AMO director of policy and government relations, told Global News.

The …