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Topic

Housing

Which governments hold powers over housing, and the laws that give them those powers.

Governments covering Russell · About Russell

Russell Who governs this place

Each power below comes from a law, agreement or official page, linked under it. This page lists the powers each government holds. It does not say how they are used.

Municipal

Russell Township Council

Governs Russell

  • Building regulation Report
    Related: Building permits, zoning and land use

    Enforces the Ontario Building Code: appoints a chief building official and issues building permits (Building Code Act, 1992).

    Source: ontario.ca, checked
  • Land use planning and development Report
    Related: Building permits, zoning and land use

    Prepares an official plan and passes zoning by-laws, and decides local planning applications, under the Planning Act (official plans, s.17; zoning by-laws, s.34). In two-tier areas the upper tier may be the approval authority for plans of subdivision.

    Source: ontario.ca, checked

Provincial

Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Governs Ontario

  • Property and civil rights Report

    Contracts, property and most private law in Ontario, including landlord and tenant, consumer protection, insurance, employment standards and labour relations for provincially regulated work (Constitution Act, 1867, s. 92(13)).

    Source: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, checked
  • Municipal institutions Report
    Related: Building permits, zoning and land use

    Creates municipalities and sets what they may do (Constitution Act, 1867, s. 92(8)); in Ontario through the Municipal Act, 2001, the City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the Planning Act.

    Source: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, checked

Federal

Parliament of Canada

Governs Canada

  • Currency and banking Report
    Related: Money and banking

    Exclusive: "Currency and Coinage" (s. 91(14)) and "Banking, Incorporation of Banks, and the Issue of Paper Money" (s. 91(15)), Constitution Act, 1867.

    Currency, coinage and banking are federal (s. 91(14), (15)).

    Source: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, checked

Changes to who holds these powers

Laws and orders, newest first, that changed what the governments covering Russell may decide about housing.

  1. Limit

    Ontario requires official plans and zoning to allow up to three homes per residential lot

    The More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 (Bill 23, S.O. 2022, c. 21) amended the Planning Act so that, on a parcel of urban residential land, municipal official plans and zoning by-laws may not prohibit up to three residential units (for example three in a house, or two in a house and one in an ancillary building), may not require more than one parking space for each of those units, and may not set a minimum floor area for them (Planning Act ss. 16(3) and 35.1). The Act also changed development charges, parkland requirements, site plan control and the planning role of some upper-tier municipalities.

    Applies to
    Every municipality in Ontario
    Sourced · checked

    Sources for this change

    • This change and its date ola.org · checked
      ola.org · checked
    Report

No power over housing recorded

Other governments covering Russell. We have no power over housing on record for them. If one holds such a power, tell us.

Other topics

Sources

  • ontario.ca · checked Ontario statute named in the power description; section numbers only where confirmed on e-Laws/CanLII 2026-10-11. Tier: local For: Building regulation (Russell Township Council)
  • ontario.ca · checked Ontario statute named in the power description; section numbers only where confirmed on e-Laws/CanLII 2026-10-11. Tier: local For: Land use planning and development (Russell Township Council)
  • laws-lois.justice.gc.ca · checked Constitution Act, 1867, ss. 92, 92A, 93, 94A, 95 (Justice Laws website consolidation). For: Property and civil rights (Legislative Assembly of Ontario), Municipal institutions (Legislative Assembly of Ontario)
  • laws-lois.justice.gc.ca · checked Text quoted from the Constitution Acts (Justice Laws Website, current to 2026-09-21). For: Currency and banking (Parliament of Canada)
  • ola.org · checked Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Bill 23 More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022: Royal Assent text (Schedule 9, Planning Act ss. 16(3), 35.1; commencement s. 25) and explanatory note; read 2026-10-12 For: Ontario requires official plans and zoning to allow up to three homes per residential lot (November 28, 2022)
  • ola.org · checked Bill 23 status: Royal Assent received 28 November 2022, S.O. 2022, c. 21 For: Ontario requires official plans and zoning to allow up to three homes per residential lot (November 28, 2022)

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