The City of Ottawa doesn’t control interest rates or the cost of construction. But facing a housing crisis, we can do a much better job in the area we do control: the housing approval process. It’s time for Ottawa to say yes to housing.
I’m excited that city council unanimously approved the new Housing Action Plan. Our goal is simple but ambitious: to make Ottawa the most housing-friendly city in Canada.
I wouldn’t blame you if you were a little bit skeptical. For years, governments at every level have promised to fix the housing crisis, yet the problem has only grown worse. But this time is different. Even our biggest critics are saying that Ottawa now has the most ambitious municipal housing plan in Canada’s history.
To build homes faster and more affordably, we need to cut red tape and speed up approvals. Ottawa’s plan is built on five key priorities:
- simplifying regulations
- building a culture of “yes”
- reducing municipal fees
- supporting non-market housing
- making smarter use of land and development
Time is money in development, especially for small scale builders and the non-market housing sector. The longer it takes to get a project shovel ready, the more expensive the homes will be. That’s why our plan reduces the number and complexity of studies required, creates standard legal agreements, and undertakes a top-to-bottom review of our development approvals process to root out delays and bottlenecks.
For Ottawa to say “yes” to housing, a housing-friendly mindset must take hold throughout City Hall. The mindset must shift from enforcing rules to helping get homes built. That means mentoring young planners to think creatively, empowering teams to solve problems alongside proponents, and, above all, taking a smarter, more measured approach to risk.
Saving time saves money, but we need to reduce financial costs as well. Municipal fees are added to every project, and those costs are ultimately passed along to buyers and renters. Our plan will pause, defer, and review a wide range of fees and costs including community benefit charges, development charges, cash-in-lieu of parkland and more. This will allow builders to lower their prices without jeopardizing the financial viability of projects.
https://www.ipolitics.ca/2025/09/19/sutcliffe-proposes-pausing-building-code-fee-increases-community-benefit-charges-in-new-housing-action-plan/
Building more affordable, supportive, and transitional homes is a critical part of the plan. During this term of council, we’re investing more than $100 million in affordable housing – that’s more than double what was invested in the previous term. Ottawa’s plan also seeks to unlock public lands for affordable housing, enable intensification on existing non-profit housing properties, and coordinate much more closely with the affordable sector to reduce their administrative costs and improve timelines.
And to build more homes faster, we have to build where it makes the most sense to do so: using thoughtful densification in urban areas. We’re cutting fees and barriers for transit-oriented development, improving as-of right permissions within urban areas with the infrastructure to support it, expanding programs for office-to-residential conversions, and creating accelerator programs for missing-middle and additional unit builds.
Within the five themes are 53 specific actions. Roughly 40% of those were implemented when the plan was approved by on October 8th, and a further 40% will be put in place the coming months. We’re also well underway on the most pro-housing update of Ottawa’s Zoning By-law in the city’s history, and a faster more streamlined approach to future neighbourhood development.
We can’t solve the housing crisis on our own; all levels of government must collaborate with private and not-for-profit builders. I’ve shared the plan with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Premier Doug Ford, and the federal and provincial housing ministers. We’ve all pledged to work together to make it easier to build homes faster and more affordably.
Cities can no longer be obstacles to building homes. I want Ottawa to lead by example. Our residents expect us to respond to the crisis. The Housing Action Plan is our answer. And our answer is saying yes to housing.
Mark Sutcliffe is the mayor of Ottawa.
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