Bill 23 - More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022

On October 25, 2022, the Province released the More Homes Built Faster: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan: 2022-2023 (the Action Plan) to address Ontario’s housing supply crisis and help the Government of Ontario achieve its goal of building 1.5 million homes over the next ten years as part of More Homes Built Faster: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan: 2022-2023. To implement the Action Plan, the Province has made a number of legislative changes under Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022. Bill 23 impacts nine statues, including major changes to the Planning Act, Development Charges Act, Ontario Heritage Act, and Conservation Authorities Act. In addition, the Province is also proposing amendments to the Greenbelt Plan and associated Greenbelt Area boundary regulation. The More Homes Built Faster Act received Royal Assent on November 28, 2022.

The legislative changes were posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) for public review and comment. 

Environmental Registry of Ontario & Regulatory Registry Postings:

• Proposed Planning Act and City of Toronto Act Changes
• Proposed Planning Act and Development Charges Act Changes
• Proposed Ontario Heritage Act Changes
• Proposed Conservation Authorities Act and Regulatory Changes
• Proposed Natural Hazards Regulatory Changes
• Proposed Inclusionary Zoning Regulatory Changes
• Proposed Changes to Ontario Regulation 299/19: Additional Residential Units
• Proposed Supporting Growth and Housing in York and Durham Regions

These changes have significant impacts on the Town's ability to plan and pay for forecasted growth without increased costs for Town of Erin residents.

The key changes that impact the Town include:

• Restricting third party appeal rights for Subdivision/Condominium, Consent and Minor Variance applications
• Removing the requirement for Statutory Public Meetings for subdivision applications
• Removing the ability for the Town to choose where to locate parkland for new developments
• Capping the amount developers contribute to new parkland
• Less fees the Town can collect from developers for essential infrastructure
• Automatic removal of properties from the Municipal Heritage Register
• Restricting the conservation authorities ability to review, comment and permit to mitigate negative impacts on the environment 

The Town is supportive of the Province's efforts to improve housing affordability, however it is clear these changes restrict the Towns ability to pay for growth. This will result in an increased cost burden to the Town of Erin. The Town is working to better understand the financial implications of Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022.

Town staff presented Report PD2022-32 Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 to Town Council on December 8, 2022 outlining the implications of Bill 23 to the Town. The staff report and related comments to the ERO postings can be found here: https://pub-erin.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=13995 

The Town will continue to provide updates related to Bill 23 and its impacts to the Town of Erin residents.