Parrish’s Housing Task Force Pushes Bold Reforms to Address Affordability Crisis
In a landmark decision to combat the housing crisis, Mississauga City Council has unanimously approved Mayor Carolyn Parrish’s motion to reduce development charges (DCs) and accelerate home construction.
The initiative, spearheaded by the Mayor’s Housing Task Force, aims to cut costs, streamline approvals, and incentivize developers to build much-needed housing.
“We can no longer wait to act,” said Mayor Parrish. “The housing crisis demands immediate action, and today we’re implementing the Housing Task Force’s recommendations to drive real change. Our city cannot afford to lose more young people and families due to unaffordable housing.”
Under the new plan, Mississauga will offer:
50% reduction in City Development Charges (DCs) for all residential units.
100% reduction in DCs for three-bedroom units in purpose-built rental buildings.
Deferral of DC payments until occupancy to ease financial strain on developers.
Development charges fund infrastructure like roads and transit, but city officials argue that temporarily lowering them is crucial to reviving stalled residential construction, which has been impacted by rising costs.
The city is also urging Peel Region to match these reductions and introduce a multi-residential tax subclass, which could cut property taxes on new rental buildings by up to 35%.
Mississauga’s action comes as new high-rise home sales plummeted by 95% in 2024. The Mayor’s Housing Task Force has warned that without bold reforms, few new homes will be built over the next two years.
“The barriers to homebuilding—development charges, taxes, and fees—must be tackled head-on,” Parrish emphasized. “This is about building a future for Mississauga where young people can stay, families can grow, and everyone has a place to call home.”
Real estate and development industry leaders have welcomed Mississauga’s decision.
“These historic actions by the City of Mississauga to remove the barriers and costs crippling the housing industry will have a meaningful impact on new home and rental construction,” said Paula Tenuta, SVP of Policy & Advocacy at BILD.
The city has raised its housing target to 370,000 new homes by 2051, up from 246,000. To support this long-term vision, Mississauga is calling on the provincial and federal governments to provide funding for infrastructure and affordable housing through:
Ontario’s Building Faster Fund
Federal Housing Accelerator Fund
Federal Housing Infrastructure Fund
Mayor Parrish credited the Mayor’s Housing Task Force for its swift progress. The group, formed just two weeks after she took office, developed the Partners in Homebuilding Report, which laid the groundwork for today’s initiative.
“Mayor Parrish’s efforts to bring together creative, resourceful people with proven experience is bearing fruit,” said Graham Cubitt, Director of Projects and Development at Indwell. “The dialogue and active listening within the Task Force is leading to new pathways for action on housing affordability.”
With Mississauga taking bold steps to revive homebuilding, all eyes are on other municipalities and higher levels of government to see if they will follow suit.