Housing Minister Warns Against Resistance to Ending Exclusionary Zoning

Canada’s Housing Minister is warning that municipalities won’t succeed with applications for federal housing accelerator funding unless they are flexible on zoning rules. Speaking on Jan.17 at an Empire Club of Canada luncheon in Toronto, Sean Fraser said a willingness to adopt zoning reforms has been key for the communities that signed deals with Ottawa. Mr. Fraser said the federal government has seen “a change in approach overnight” on the part of cities that were initially resistant to such changes, as competition for the money has prompted some jurisdictions to become more open to reform. “If you want to tap into the fund, be more ambitious than your neighbours,” Mr. Fraser said....