Mayor’s Housing Task Force marks 100 days of progress

Mayor Carolyn Parrish welcomed the Honourable Robert Flack, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs to City Hall today as the Mayor’s Housing Task Force marked 100 days of progress. Despite the continued market slowdown, Mississauga’s efforts are paying off with an expected 11,600 residential units moving towards building permit application in the next few months. In 2024, only 2,557 units came forward for building permits by the end of the year.

The Mayor’s Housing Task Force was assembled by Mayor Parrish two weeks after taking office in June 2024. It includes more than 30 experts from Ontario’s private and not-for-profit building and development industry. The Mayor’s goal was to help break down barriers by bringing together those who plan for and approve housing (government) and those who build it (industry).

Released on January 22, 2025, the task force report includes bold actions and recommendations that are helping spur development in Mississauga.

Task force priorities include:

• Reforming development charges, taxes and fees to help lower housing costs
• Updating building and design standards to help boost supply and make building more affordable
• Transforming zoning to unlock more housing
• Creating sustainable programs and funding that will mobilize industry to help meet the demand for affordable housing

Key achievements

Mississauga has made significant strides in changing the housing landscape in the first 100 days since the report was released.​ Key achievements include:

• Development charge (DC) relief: Mississauga is one of the first municipalities in Ontario to reduce and/or eliminate residential DCs.  Shovel-ready residential projects that pull building permits before November 13, 2026, receive a 50 per cent discount on DCs and they are eliminated for three-bedroom, family-sized units.
• Tax relief for new multi-residential development: In response to a Motion by Mayor Parrish, Peel Region approved a resolution adopting a new Multi-Residential Property Subclass. Once implemented, it will provide a 35 per cent property tax reduction for eligible properties and will help encourage much-needed rental development.
• Increasing housing supply: Council approved the City’s new Official Plan which includes new and enhanced policies that will enable approximately 370,000 new residential units by 2051, including increased heights for towers along major transit station areas.
• Funding for affordable housing: The City awarded conditional funding for eight shovel-ready rental developments that will bring more than 1,400 new purpose-built rental units to Mississauga, including almost 400 with more affordable rents.
• Simplifying planning approvals for housing near transit: Mississauga is moving forward with pre-zoning lands in the City’s Protected Major Transit Station Areas. Mississauga is one of the first municipalities in Ontario to pre-zone lands of this scale. When fully implemented, this will help speed up the construction of new housing while ensuring meets the City’s vision for new development.
• Streamlining City processes: The City is making Mississauga an easier place to build new housing. The City is now accepting pay on demand surety bonds for development agreements – as an alternative to letters of credit – to help make projects more financially viable. To speed up City approvals, Council approved a by-law to delegate authority to the Commissioner of Planning and Building to execute routine Development Agreements.

To read the full report and learn more about the task force members, visit Mississauga.ca/housing-taskforce.

Quotes

“Addressing the housing crisis requires innovative solutions and a willingness to challenge the status quo. Cities like Mississauga are leading by example, cutting red tape and doing things differently to meet the housing needs of our residents. When municipalities step up with bold actions and get support from other levels of government, real progress becomes possible. The strides we’ve made in 100 days show what can happen when we’re committed to change.” – Mayor Carolyn Parrish

“We are committed to tackling housing challenges in Mississauga. But ultimately, actions speak louder than words. From announcing funding for new affordable rental projects to making it easier to develop homes around transit, we’ve taken decisive action in the last 100 days to make Mississauga a competitive, inclusive and prosperous place to live, work and visit.” – Andrew Whittemore, Commissioner, Planning and Building

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• Housing
• Planning and Building