On June 18th, 2024, the Ministry of Housing released guidance for Local Governments on how to calculate their Housing Needs Reports (HNRs). Local Governments are required to complete an interim HNR using the new standardized framework by January 1, 2025, then the first “regular” report will be required by December 31, 2028, and every five years afterwards.    

The new standardized framework requires that Local Governments include the following six components in their HNR: 

1. “Supply of units to reduce extreme core housing need (those paying more than 50% of income for housing); 
2. Supply of units to reduce homelessness; 
3. Supply of units to address suppressed household formation; 
4. Supply of units needed to meet household growth over the next 5 or 20 years; 
5. Supply of units needed to meet at least a 3% vacancy rate; and, 
6. Supply of units needed to meet local demand. This component is only included for municipalities.”  

The Ministry is also developing a calculator to streamline the process for Local Governments to determine how many units their communities will require over the next 5- and 20-year periods. These reports will help inform the Official Community Plan updates required to be completed by December 31, 2025, as well as future updates to community planning and regional growth strategies.  

The guidance has been updated on the Ministry’s webpage, this also includes detailed resources: 

• Summary of Legislative and Regulatory Requirements for Housing Needs Reports  
• Housing Needs Report FAQ  
• Housing Needs Report Technical Guidance  
• Housing Needs Reports Data 

View past updates related to the Provincial Housing Legislation here.