Does a garden suite have to be removed eventually under a temporary use bylaw in Ontario?

It depends on how your specific municipality has authorized the garden suite. Some municipalities permit garden suites only through a temporary use bylaw mechanism, which allows a use for a defined period, after which it generally must end and, for a physical structure like a garden suite, that can mean an obligation to remove it unless the temporary permission is renewed or the municipality's approach has since moved to a permanent one.

Other municipalities have moved to permitting garden suites on a more permanent, as-of-right basis under their standard zoning bylaw, in which case there's no built-in removal requirement tied to a temporary use mechanism. Because both approaches exist across the province and municipal policy in this area has been actively changing, whether your specific garden suite carries a future removal obligation depends entirely on which mechanism your municipality actually used to permit it, and that should be clearly stated in your approval documents. Before building or buying a property with an existing garden suite, confirm directly with the municipality whether the permission is temporary or permanent, and if temporary, what renewal process, if any, exists before the removal date arrives.