OnePoint Association of REALTORS® Statement on the Launch of the Ontario–Canada Development Charge Reduction Program

ONTARIO, CANADA, June 2, 2026 — The OnePoint Association of REALTORS® (“OnePoint”) welcomes the announcement this week by the Governments of Canada and Ontario opening applications for the new Development Charge Reduction Program. This program is an important initiative that has the potential to lower housing costs, improve project viability, and support the construction of much-needed homes across communities throughout the OnePoint region.

This program represents a significant step forward in implementing the broader Canada–Ontario Partnership to Build, which commits $8.8 billion over ten years to support housing-enabling infrastructure while helping municipalities reduce development charges by up to 50 per cent. Combined with recent HST relief measures for new homes, governments are demonstrating a clear commitment to addressing some of the largest government-imposed costs embedded in the price of housing.

While development charges in many OnePoint communities may not reach the levels seen in parts of the Greater Toronto Area, they remain a significant contributor to housing costs and can act as a barrier to both affordability and new housing construction. In many communities across Central Ontario, development charges, parkland fees, and other growth-related costs can add tens of thousands of dollars to the price of a new home, making it more difficult for first-time buyers, young families, and local workers to enter the housing market.

OnePoint's recent housing policy research found that many municipalities across the region would benefit from a closer review of their development charge frameworks, particularly as communities seek to encourage missing-middle housing, gentle density, and more attainable ownership and rental options. Reducing upfront development costs is one of the most effective tools available to governments to improve housing affordability and encourage new housing supply.

OnePoint encourages all municipalities across its service area - including Guelph, Centre Wellington, Stratford, Collingwood, Owen Sound, Orillia, Midland, Wasaga Beach, Bracebridge, and Kincardine - to move quickly to participate in this program and assess how development charge reductions could support local housing objectives.

Jennifer Morley

President

OnePoint Association of REALTORS®