Amendments to the Planning Act and City of Toronto Act, 2006 / Reducing Red Tape and Burden to Build Training Centres.

To help ensure that Ontario continues to support a competitive and resilient workforce, MLITSD, working with Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH), is taking steps to accelerate the construction of worker training centres funded through MLITSD’s Skills Development Fund (SDF) – Capital Stream to support increased training capacity across Ontario’s workforce.

Recipients of the SDF funding have reported project delays due to prolonged municipal permitting and planning approvals. In response, MLITSD is seeking to streamline land use planning for these training centres.

The proposed legislative amendments would exempt these training centres from the Planning Act and planning provisions in the City of Toronto Act 2006, except as otherwise prescribed.

Municipal planning and other required approvals could impede Ontario's ability to quickly bring Skills Development Fund (SDF) training facilities to completion. Removing these could help to accelerate construction, support training delivery, bolster tariff response readiness, and meet labour market needs across critical sectors (e.g., the skilled trades, manufacturing, and healthcare).

Municipal and permitting requirements vary across the province, and requirements depend on the scope, type of build (e.g., new build, conversion, renovation), and location of individual projects.

Delays in obtaining these approvals could contribute to extended project timelines, ranging from a few months to potentially up to a year to receive final approvals, limiting Ontario’s ability to deliver worker training infrastructure when and where it is needed to support the province’s increasing labour market demands.