Premier Doug Ford is asking Ontario’s municipalities to make it easier to build homes.

The Premier addressed municipal leaders attending the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa.

He says they need to look for ways to be even more ambitious in lowering the cost of building.

“That means lowering municipal development charges to kick start construction so, together across all levels of government, we can keep the dream of home ownership alive in Ontario,” Ford.

Ford says he has renewed his request to Prime Minister Mark Carney to remove the HST on the purchase of new homes as a way of further stimulating the economy.

Ford also encouraged municipal leaders to continue using a Buy-Ontario, Buy-Canada approach when seeking goods and services.

He says the provincial government is already committed to spending the $30 million on procurement and $200 billion in its plan to build on Ontario-made products like steel, forestry products and vehicles.

“And I encourage every municipality here to do the same,” says Ford.

“Ontario municipalities spend tens of billions of dollars every single year on procurement on top of what the province spends, and what money should be going back into our communities.”

Ford stressed the need to first buy Ontario, then look elsewhere in Canada.

Ford says it is about protecting Ontario and helping keep its workers on the job.