What Is EHON (Expanding Housing Options in Neighborhoods) in Toronto, Canada — and How Pre-Panelized Cold-Formed Steel Framing Supports It

Cities across Canada are facing a housing crisis: rising prices, limited supply, and fewer options for people who want to live in established neighborhoods. In Toronto, Canada, one of the city’s key responses to this challenge is EHON — Expanding Housing Options in Neighborhoods.

EHON is a planning and zoning initiative led by the City of Toronto that aims to allow more types of housing in traditionally low-density residential areas, while keeping neighborhoods livable and human-scaled.

 The Problem EHON Tries to Solve

For decades, much of Toronto’s residential land — often referred to as the “Yellowbelt” — was zoned almost exclusively for single-detached homes. This meant that even as the city’s population grew, large areas could not legally add new housing beyond one house per lot.

The result?

• Limited housing supply

• Fewer affordable options

• Families, seniors, and young people being priced out of neighborhoods they grew up in

EHON was created to modernize these rules.

 What EHON Is All About

At its core, EHON focuses on enabling the “missing middle” — housing types that sit between single-family houses and high-rise apartments. These forms add density gently, without drastically changing the look and feel of neighborhoods.

EHON supports:

• More housing choice

• More efficient use of land and infrastructure

• More inclusive and complete communities

 What Types of Housing Does EHON Allow?

EHON expands permissions for several low-rise housing options, including:

• Multiplexes (such as duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes)

• Laneway suites, built on properties that back onto laneways

• Garden suites, small homes located in rear yards

• Low-rise apartment buildings along major streets and avenues

These housing forms are typically no taller than a few stories and are designed to fit within existing neighborhoods.

 How Pre-Panelized Cold-Formed Steel Framing Supports EHON

While EHON focuses on planning and zoning, the success of these housing types also depends on how they are built. One construction method well suited to EHON-style development is pre-panelized cold-formed steel (CFS) framing.

Pre-panelized CFS framing involves manufacturing wall and floor panels off-site and assembling them on location. This approach supports EHON’s goals by:

• Reducing construction timelines, helping deliver housing faster

• Minimizing disruption in established neighborhoods

• Improving quality and precision through factory-controlled fabrication

• Supporting low-rise, multi-unit buildings, including multiplexes, laneway suites, and garden suites

• Providing durability and fire resistance, important in compact urban environments

For small lots and infill sites common under EHON, pre-panelized CFS framing offers flexibility and efficiency without increasing building height or scale.

 Why EHON Matters in Toronto

1. More Housing Supply

By allowing multiple homes on a single lot, EHON helps increase the total number of housing units without expanding the city outward.

2. Greater Affordability

While not a single solution to affordability, increasing supply and using efficient construction methods can help manage costs.

3. Inclusive Neighborhoods

EHON allows people at different life stages — students, families, seniors — to remain in or return to their communities.

4. Sustainable Urban Growth

Adding housing where infrastructure already exists supports transit use, walkability, and environmental sustainability.

 Part of Toronto’s Bigger Housing Strategy

EHON is not a standalone policy. It works alongside Toronto’s broader housing plans focused on affordability, sustainability, and equity. Construction innovations like pre-panelized cold-formed steel framing help translate these planning policies into real housing on the ground.

 In Simple Terms

EHON in Toronto is about opening doors — and building smarter.

It opens doors to more housing choices, more inclusive neighborhoods, and more efficient ways of delivering housing within the city’s existing fabric.

As Toronto continues to grow, initiatives like EHON — paired with modern construction methods — will play a key role in shaping a livable, resilient, and accessible city.