Ontario Greens will bring down costs for first-time homebuyers

February 3, 2025

KITCHENER — Ontario Greens announced a First-Time Homebuyers Plan that would remove fees and taxes on the purchase of new starter homes built within urban boundaries.

“Doug Ford’s rock-bottom housing record has made it impossible for the average young person to buy a home of their own,” said Ontario Greens Leader Mike Schreiner. “It’s just not fair.”

“Young people are leaving the province because they’ve given up hope of ever being able to afford a home in Ontario. Meanwhile, the only kind of housing Doug Ford wants to build is mansions in the Greenbelt that no one can afford. He’s putting the profits of wealthy speculators over young families, and it’s not fair.”

“By building more homes and getting rid of the fees that are hiking up purchase costs, we’ll save the average first-time homebuyer $150,000 and without sprawling onto our farms, forests and wetlands.”

“It’s time to bring some generational fairness back into the housing market,” said Ontario Greens Deputy Leader and candidate for Kitchener Centre Aislinn Clancy. “I want my kids to grow up knowing that they’ll be able to buy a home in their community one day, but we need to make major changes to get there.”

“These changes are a central part of the Ontario Greens’ plan to build more homes and bring down costs so that everyone in Ontario has a place to call home.”

Ontario Greens First-Time Homebuyers Plan would bring down costs and build 2 million homes within urban boundaries by:

• Allowing for the construction of fourplexes and four-storey buildings as of right across the province and sixplexes in cities over 500,000, and midrise buildings of up to 6-11 storeys on transit corridors and main streets;
• Removing development charges on homes, condos and apartment units under 2,000 square feet that are built within urban boundaries, and creating an Affordable Communities Fund to cover municipalities’ housing infrastructure costs; and
• Removing the Land Transfer Tax for first-time homebuyers.

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