May 14, 2026 Ministry of…

May 14, 2026

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing 

Provincial Planning Branch 
13th Floor, 777 Bay Street 

Toronto, ON, M7A 2J3 

Subject: Proposed Changes to Various Regulations Under the Planning Act to Facilitate the Electronic Submission of Information and Materials to Approval Authorities and Allow Notices to be Given Electronically to the Province

Mattamy Homes has a long and proud history in the homebuilding sector. Founded in 1978, we are Canada’s largest residential real estate developer, building master-planned communities and homes of every type, including single-detached, townhomes, mid-rise, and high-rise. In Canada, our communities stretch across the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area, as well as Ottawa, Calgary, and Edmonton.

We support the Province’s proposed amendments to various Planning Act regulations to facilitate the electronic submission of information and materials and permit notices to be provided electronically to the Province. These are practical and overdue modernization measures that will help improve efficiency, reduce administrative burden and support more timely planning approvals.

From a homebuilding and development perspective, Ontario’s planning system remains heavily reliant on outdated submission and circulation processes that can create unnecessary delay, duplication and cost. Allowing digital submissions and electronic notice requirements is a straightforward step that aligns with current industry practice and broader government objectives related to digital service delivery.

We support the Province’s proposal to:

Remove requirements for original or certified paper copies of planning materials; and

Permit required notices under the Planning Act to be submitted electronically to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

To support successful implementation, we recommend the Province:

Establish standardized province-wide digital submission requirements, including file formats, naming conventions, drawing standards and maximum submission requirements, to reduce inconsistencies across municipalities.

Encourage municipalities and approval authorities to adopt fully digital application review and circulation systems, including agency circulation, comment tracking and approval issuance.

Ensure digital submission requirements remain practical and proportionate, particularly for large and complex applications where excessive formatting or upload requirements can create unnecessary administrative burden.

Standardize electronic notice procedures and confirmation protocols to provide certainty regarding timing, receipt and circulation requirements.

Continue modernizing related planning approval processes, including complete application review, site plan approvals and subdivision circulation processes, to fully realize the efficiencies associated with digital submissions.

Avoid municipalities maintaining parallel paper submission requirements or duplicate hard-copy processes that would undermine the intent of the proposed reforms.

Consider future opportunities to support integrated province-wide digital planning platforms and standardized e-permitting systems to further improve consistency and efficiency across jurisdictions.

These changes represent an important modernization of Ontario’s planning framework and will help streamline development approvals, reduce administrative costs and improve coordination between applicants, municipalities, agencies and the Province. While procedural in nature, these reforms will contribute to more efficient planning processes and support the timely delivery of housing and infrastructure across Ontario.

For additional information:

Adria Minsky, Director, Public Affairs

Mattamy Homes Canada

Adria.minsky@mattamycorp.com