New legislation to build on.

Act calls for looser guidelines (or the redevelopment of brownfield sites.

About 10 per cent of all available land in Ontario cities is brown field land suitable for development, says Brent Easson, a policy and research director with the Ontario Homebuilders' Association. And new legislation being proposed by the provincial government will make it easier for the construction industry to build on them.

The Brownfields Statute Law Amendment Act calls for looser guidelines for the redevelopment of brownfield sites, while maintaining high environmental standards. The act has the approval of the Ontario Homebuilders' Association, which sees the move as a step in the right direction.

"We're saying. (the legislation) is an excellent beginning," Easson says.

"Brownfields are obviously a very big issue for the industry. Ten per cent of the land in Toronto, for example, is available for reconstruction through brownfields, so that presents a huge opportunity for everyone."

Brownfields are land where industrial or commercial activity once took place Today, these lands are often contaminated, underused or abandoned.

As part of its strategy for Smart Growth, the government's long-term plan-for promoting and managing growth in ways that sustain a strong economy and build stronger communities, the government is zeroing in on opening up brownfields for rehabilitation and construction.

"This (type of) land is sitting there idle; it isn't generating any tax revenue because it isn't being used to anywhere near its potential," Easson says.

"But if you create an environment where builders can redevelop these lands, it's going to make for a much better environment."

Prior to the legislation, Easson says developers were faced with financial and liability obstacles that discouraged them from building on brownfield lands.

"The difficulty has been in securing financing because, until you actually get in there and start looking at the land, a builder doesn't know what he's getting in to, and the liability and the cost of cleanup could be just too much for them to get involved in." -

The new legislation, however, reduces the liability of building on brownfield lands by setting out clear rules for the cleanup of contaminated brownfield sites.

"It's going to open up a lot more opportunities for builders to look more seriously at brownfields," Easson says.

In his May 17 statement to the legislature regarding the Brownfields Statute Law Amendment Act, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Chris Hodgson said brownfields have substantial economic potential for communities throughout the province.

"The lands are often in a city core," Hodgson said. "As they are cleaned and redeveloped, and people once again live and work and energize the area, there can be enormous social and economic gains to the community.

"As municipalities and developers and investors increasingly realize the potential, cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields can also help preserve our vital green spaces and farmlands for all the people of this province."

The Brownfields Statute Law Amendment Act clearly outlines the rules for rehabilitating contaminated brownfields to ensure that environmental standards are met and the public's health is protected, Hodgson said. It would also provide liability protection from future environmental orders for municipalities, lenders, owners and developers involved with properties, while streamlining the planning processes to expedite brownfield projects and help municipalities provide financial support for cleanup costs.

Easson says greenfield construction, building on lands that have previously been unused, still remains popular, but brownfields provide an alternative that may be necessary in the next few decades.

"Population projections call for upwards of one million people in the Greater Toronto Area alone over the next 10 to 15 years, and two-and-a-half million people for the province over the same time period. Those people have to live somewhere, and they can't all necessarily live in downtown Toronto."

The construction industry, he adds, stands to benefit a great deal from the legislation.

"Everybody's going to find a lot of opportunity to do business."