Multiplexes of up to four residential units can now be built in all neighbourhoods across Toronto after approval from city council, a move intended to increase low-rise housing options in existing communities.

And yesterday Doug Ford said, “It's off the table”.

Doug Ford nixes fourplexes as part of next Ontario housing bill. “You go in the little communities and start putting up four-storey, six-storey, eight-storey buildings right deep into the communities, there's going to be a lot of shouting and screaming. That's a massive mistake.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province will not introduce legislation that would automatically allow fourplex homes to be built across the province by overriding any prohibitions municipalities had in place. Ford says such legislation would be a massive mistake. He says he is focused on building single-family homes and townhomes.

It’s long been rumoured that allowing fourplexes would be part of the Ford government’s latest housing bill, which is expected to be tabled after the province’s 2024 budget. However, on Thursday Ford cut this rumour down.

The Ontario Liberals will be the latest party to propose legislation that would allow developers and homeowners to build fourplexes.

On Tuesday, MPP Adil Shamji will introduce a private members’ bill that would amend official plans and zoning bylaws to allow the building of up to four residential units, up to four stories, to be built on any parcel or land zoned as “residential.”

The Liberals were unable to provide a rough estimate as to how many housing units could be opened up if developers were allowed to build fourplexes, saying only that “it’s certainly more than a drop in the bucket.”

The Liberals are not the first political party to make this suggestion. In 2023, the Ontario Green Party put forward legislation that would allow “the use of up to four residential units in a detached house, semi-detached house or rowhouse as well as multi-unit residential buildings of up to four stories.”

Neither bill will likely pass due to the Progressive Conservative majority.