Canada’s budget proposes faster municipal housing permits
The plan includes C$100 million for electronic permitting and separate funding for modern construction methods.
Canada’s 2026 budget proposes C$100 million over three years, starting in 2027–28, for a partnership with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The plan would support digital permit systems and the use of artificial intelligence in local approval processes.
The budget also proposes C$300 million over three years from 2028–29, with another C$200 million in future years, to expand industrial capacity for modern construction methods. The permitting proposal addresses the approval process. The construction funding would target the cost and speed of building once projects are approved.
The measures sit alongside proposed funding to prepare federal land for housing by providing infrastructure such as roads, water and wastewater services. The budget lists different start dates for the programmes. Municipalities and builders would encounter the changes as the individual measures are funded and put into effect.