OREA To Share "Report Cards" On Candidates' Housing Plans Ahead Of Ontario Election

Ahead of the February 27 Ontario general election, the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) is calling on all political parties to prioritize tackling the Province's housing crisis by providing ten "bold" actions for improving housing affordability and consumer protection.

The actions, released on Monday, range from improving conditions at the still-backlogged Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) to limiting municipal development charges and are outlined in their platform titled A Home for Everyone 2025. Many of the actions pull from reports and whitepapers previously released by OREA.

“These days, Ontarians from every corner of the province are feeling the pinch of the housing affordability crisis, the rising cost of living, and other economic challenges being faced across the country,” said OREA President Rick Kedzior in a press release. “To help solve these issues, we need to get shovels in the ground faster and build more homes with fewer costs being passed down to consumers, and that starts with candidates embracing pro-housing policies during the 2025 Ontario general election.”

If implemented by candidates, the reforms are said to "help lower the cost of homeownership, improve consumer confidence in the real estate market, and increase housing supply across the province," according to the release.

Diving in with one of the most pressing issues: affordability. OREA is calling on candidates to implement a condoization framework for multiplexes, limit municipal development charges (DCs), and fund pilot programs that create new pathways to homeownership. Condoization refers to the allowance of multiplex owners to easily sever, convert, and sell their property as individual units, while a limit of DCs is intended to combat the "runaway cost" of municipal fees, which can add up to $135,000 to the final cost of a home.

Another key area the platform targets is Ontario's housing supply problem. With a housing shortage of an estimated 1.5 million homes, OREA is highlighting the need to spur development by ending exclusionary zoning across Ontario through legalizing fourplexes as of right, increasing density near transit through building conversions, and helping promote and scale innovative approaches to development.

As well, OREA's platform hinges on improving customer confidence through expanded protections by fine tuning the efficiency of the LTB, mandating equal treatment for diverse families under the Condominium Act, eliminating the auctioneer loophole in Ontario real estate, and implementing a more practical education for Ontario REALTORS®.

In aim of keeping voters informed on which candidates are committed to following these mandates, OREA will be publishing handy "report cards" prior to election day for all candidates running for the premiership.

"We need bold action from elected leaders if we want to solve the housing affordability crisis," said the release. "That starts with implementing the strong and innovative solutions that Ontario REALTORS® have put on the table."