The Ontario government has introduced legislation it says would eliminate nearly 220,000 days’ worth of permit processing time for businesses.
The Building Ontario Faster Act, 2026 was introduced Tuesday. The province says it would speed up permitting, accelerate infrastructure projects, protect workers from U.S. tariffs and support labour mobility.
The government says it is reviewing all 375 of the province’s business-facing permits over three years, with a goal of eliminating, streamlining or transforming 35 to 50 per cent by the end of 2028. It says it has reviewed 51 per cent so far, and has eliminated, streamlined or transformed 65 per cent of those reviewed.
The bill would also respond to new U.S. tariffs, including Section 338 tariffs on Canadian waste products, by reducing Ontario’s reliance on the United States for landfill and waste storage. It would streamline environmental approvals to align with other provinces and territories, and reduce barriers for workers in regulated professions from other provinces and territories.
“We’re giving businesses the confidence and predictability they need to invest and create jobs here in Ontario, so we can stand up to tariffs, protect our workers and build the most competitive economy in the G7,” said Red Tape Reduction Minister Andrea Khanjin. “Through the measures contained in the Building Ontario Faster Act, we are ahead of schedule in our work to review every single business-facing permit across government, and on track to save businesses nearly 220,000 days that would otherwise be spent navigating red tape and waiting for outdated and unnecessary approval processes.”
Several measures were announced earlier, including cutting construction timelines for the Highway 69 expansion by up to five years and the Blue Box changes.
