From a Toronto GTA perspective, the secondary-suite boom got a real nudge in Ontario this year. The province loosened as-of-right permissions so most single-family lots can now add a basement or laneway unit without a minor variance, which takes the average permit timeline from a few months down to a few weeks in a lot of municipalities. Where homeowners still trip up is drainage, fire separation, and a separate means of egress. Those three eat the bulk of surprise costs on nearly every suite we finish in the GTA.
If anyone is weighing the math, I broke the 2026 Ontario changes down in more detail here: Ontario secondary suite rules in 2026: what’s actually changed for Toronto homeowners. Biggest shift: most municipalities no longer require the principal-residence owner to occupy the home to register a secondary suite, which opens up duplex and triplex creation that was not viable 18 months ago.