Ontario’s Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act was voted into law November 28. The legislation will cause serious long term damage to the ability of municipalities to determine how they grow in the future, including here in South Dundas.
Bill 23 is Premier Doug Ford’s solution to the province’s housing crisis. In line with the current political thinking, the bill seeks to “eliminate red tape” that slows construction of large scale housing developments. It also changes the definitions of residential units, allowing for more home conversions, second dwellings on properties, and intensification of certain housing classes. The bill reduces development charges to get shovels in the ground faster for projects, reducing costs to home buyers. Bill 23 also reduces input from Conservation Authorities, and limits third-party appeals to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
There are merits to some aspects of Bill 23. Intensification of properties is greatly needed to reduce urban sprawl in cities. The ease and ability for property owners to build more two and three unit homes on one residential property, and the ability for existing single residential dwelling conversions will help ease some need in the rental and property ownership markets. That part of the legislation is as beneficial to South Dundas as it is to places like Kingston, Ottawa, or Toronto.
The merits of Bill 23 do not outweigh what it really is however, an overt power grab by the provincial government, and the hamstringing of municipalities. Development charges enable a municipality to have growth pay for growth. In some large cities, those charges can add tens-of-thousands to the cost of a newly-built home. They are designed to pay for the expanded municipal infrastructure needed for that home.
While South Dundas does not have development charges outside of one residential project, the option is there to add charges to pay for more growth. Growing South Dundas is a priority of many members of this new municipal council. Bill 23 will limit that ability and place more new infrastructure burdens on existing residents – who are also shouldering the financial burden of renewing roads, bridges, water, and sewers that are already in place.
This is not the only area where this government’s legislation is running roughshod over municipalities. Bill 39, the Better Municipal Governance Act, when passed will allow for Toronto and Ottawa’s mayors with only the support of one-third of council to pass bylaws in line with “provincial priorities” nullifying democratic majority rule. How long will it take before those priorities trickle down to all 444 municipalities in the province?
What is very clear from the Premier Ford’s legislative initiatives this fall is that municipalities are in the way of what the province wants to accomplish. Stripping away process and limiting municipal options will only exacerbate the situation and shift the burden of paying for it all to existing residents. That is not moving municipal progress forward: it is rearranging the chairs on the same dance floor.
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