Friday, 30 Jan 2026

Ford to Crombie, mayors criticizing housing law: 'Get on board' and 'stop whining'

The mayor of Mississauga and other municipal leaders who have voiced opposition to a new provincial housing law need to "get on board" and "stop whining," Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday in an unprompted burst of criticism.

Ford took issue with mayors who've raised concerns with the law that will reduce or eliminate some municipal revenues from developers, but singled out Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie after he made an unrelated announcement in neighbouring Brampton, Ont.

"We are trying to build a great city and accommodate growth, but as it stands, this legislation will force us to either put the brakes on these plans due to lack of funding or significantly raise taxes by up to 10 per cent a year for the next decade. I think we can all agree that none of us want that."

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has said the new law could leave municipalities short $5 billion and see taxpayers footing the bill -- either in the form of higher property taxes or service cuts -- to pay for infrastructure that supports new housing. It has also said there is nothing in the bill that would guarantee improved housing affordability.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark has said in response that he will launch a third-party audit of the finances of select municipalities to determine if the law will indeed cause a shortfall and if so, the province will make those communities "whole."

Ford said Mississauga has increased its fees on new homebuyers by nearly 30 per cent in the last two years and that makes it difficult for people to buy a home. He also accused Mississauga of not fully spending the development charge revenues it gets now, saying the city is sitting on millions of dollars in development charge reserves.

"I see that Mayor Crombie's out there handing out flyers and doing this -- all I say is get on board, stop being disingenuous, you know, with the people of Mississauga," Ford said. "It's just absolutely wrong."


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