What does More Homes for Everyone Mean for Long-term Care?

BACKGROUND

The Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 (the FLTCA) was proclaimed into force on April 11, 2022. The FLTCA brought with it incremental changes to the previous Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007, and paved the way for improved operation of long-term care homes. BLG has recently published a series of articles outlining what you need to know about the FLTCA, impacts on long-term care employers, and implications for long-term care licensees under the new FLTCA regulation.

The FLTCA was introduced following the final report of Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission (the Commission) in April 30, 2021, which recommended changes to licensing, operations, and the development of new long-term care facilities. In our overview article published on BLG.com, we questioned how attractive the public-private development model recommended by the Commission may be for privately owned property, where other types of real estate development, such as residential condominiums, could maximize land values. We suggested that incentives would likely be required to encourage the development of new long-term care homes on private lands in order to incorporate such land use as part of a larger mixed-use development.

Following on the heels of the Feb. 8, 2022 Report of the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force, the Province introduced Bill 109, the More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022, (More Homes for Everyone Act). The legislature quickly carried the bill, which received Royal Assent on April 14, 2022. As enacted, it amends the Planning Act, City of Toronto Act, 2006, and Development Charges Act, 1997 (DCA), among other statutes, in an effort to facilitate planning approvals for new housing supply generally, in less time.

This insight explores some of the new More Homes for Everyone Act planning tools, and how they could incentivize more long-term care development approvals to support the Province’s goal of fixing long-term care.