Home construction in Thunder Bay April 2023 (Adam Riley/Acadia Broadcasting)

Ontario’s Green Party is offering a solution to the housing shortage.

Leader Mike Schreiner proposes amendments to the Planning Act that would permit fourplexes, four-story buildings and mid-range apartment complexes in areas where they are now prohibited.

“There are many neighbourhoods in Toronto right now, as an example, where it is legal to tear down a bungalow and build a huge McMansions, but it’s not legal to turn that bungalow into a fourplex, so four families can have an affordable home. That has to change,” says Schreiner.

Schreiner’s proposals combine two bills he introduced last year but never moved to the next level.

He says they also relate to two recommendations put forward by the government’s Housing Affordability Task Force.

“By adopting the changes in my bill, we can build 1.5 million homes within existing urban boundaries. We can say no to expensive sprawl, and yes, in my backyard. Yes, to building more homes in the places people want to live. Yes, to protecting and expanding the green belt. Yes, to more affordable housing choices for young people and seniors wanting to downsize. Yes, to affordable, connected communities where people can live close to jobs, family, shops, and transit.”

MPPs are scheduled to debate the proposed bill in February.