May 14, 2026 Ministry of…

May 14, 2026

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing 

Provincial Planning Branch 
13th Floor, 777 Bay Street 

Toronto, ON, M7A 2J3 

Subject: Communal drinking water and wastewater system municipal consent requirements.

Mattamy Homes has a long and proud history in the homebuilding sector. Founded in 1978, we are Canada’s largest residential real estate developer, building master-planned communities and homes of every type, including single-detached, townhomes, mid-rise, and high-rise. In Canada, our communities stretch across the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area, as well as Ottawa, Calgary, and Edmonton.  

We support the Province’s proposed amendments to the Municipal Act, 2001 and Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002 to provide greater certainty and consistency regarding municipal consent for non-municipal communal drinking water and wastewater systems. These changes have the potential to support housing delivery in areas where municipal servicing is not currently available or planned in the near term.

From a land development and homebuilding perspective, servicing availability remains one of the most significant constraints affecting housing supply across Ontario. In certain communities, communal systems can provide an appropriate interim or long-term servicing solution that enables residential development while broader municipal infrastructure planning progresses.

We support the Province’s proposal to establish prescribed criteria and conditions under which municipalities would be required to provide consent for communal systems where those requirements are met. A more objective and standardized framework would help reduce uncertainty, improve predictability and avoid situations where municipal consent decisions become discretionary or inconsistent despite systems meeting all applicable technical and environmental requirements.

To support successful implementation, we recommend the Province:

Clearly define the technical, financial and operational criteria required for municipal consent to ensure transparency and predictability for applicants and municipalities.

Ensure the approval framework remains focused on objective health, safety, environmental protection and long-term operational considerations rather than broader discretionary planning matters.

Establish consistent province-wide standards respecting financial assurances, reserve funds, operational oversight and system performance requirements.

Maintain robust environmental and drinking water protection standards through existing provincial approval and regulatory frameworks under the Safe Drinking Water Act and Environmental Protection Act.

Implement clear timelines for municipal consent decisions, with mechanisms to prevent unnecessary delays where prescribed provincial requirements have been satisfied.

Ensure municipal consent processes are coordinated with broader planning and infrastructure approvals to avoid duplication and sequential delays.

Provide clarity regarding long-term ownership, operation, maintenance and potential future assumption processes for communal systems to support both municipalities and homeowners.

Ensure homeowners are protected through transparent governance, financial accountability and long-term operational oversight requirements for communal systems.

We also recognize the importance of balancing housing supply objectives with long-term infrastructure sustainability and public confidence in drinking water and wastewater systems. Any expanded use of communal systems should continue to prioritize system reliability, consumer protection and environmental performance.

Overall, these proposed changes represent a practical step toward enabling additional housing opportunities in appropriately serviced areas while providing greater certainty and consistency within the approvals framework for communal water and wastewater systems.

For additional information:

Adria Minsky, Director, Public Affairs

Mattamy Homes Canada

Adria.minsky@mattamycorp.com