The City of Ottawa has established its Housing Innovation Task Force, bringing together development industry leaders and city officials to tackle housing affordability and supply. Announced in a memo dated April 3, the task force aims to advise city staff on innovative solutions to build more housing, faster and more affordably.

This initiative follows a City Council decision on Jan. 29 to create a body focused on advancing housing projects and reducing development application approval times.

The task force is co-chaired by Brendan McGuinty, Chair of the Ottawa Board of Trade, and Debbie Stewart, the City’s General Manager of the Strategic Initiatives Department.

Its objectives include advising on ways to expedite development approvals, streamline regulations, identify financial and policy incentives for housing (including affordable housing), facilitate the use of public lands for housing supply, and enhance collaboration with federal and provincial governments.