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The Ontario regions of Waterloo and Durham became \u201cupper-tier municipalities without planning responsibilities\u201d<\/a> on Jan. 1. The regulatory change means the municipalities in those regions can seek ministerial approval of amendments to their official plans without involving the broader regional authority. The change is one of many changes made under Ontario\u2019s Bill 23 More Homes Built Faster Act<\/a> and Bill 185 Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act<\/a> to try to streamline the approvals process for new housing development.<\/p>\n The Niagara region will be similarly redesignated on March 31.<\/p>\n This article from Dentons<\/a> has more detail.<\/p>\n Ontario construction organizations have been calling for years for red tape and bureaucracy to be removed from the planning process. RESCON president Richard Lyall recently wrote about this issue<\/a>.<\/p>\n