The Province’s Bill 108, the More Homes, More Choice Act, passed First Reading in the Ontario Legislature on May 2, 2019. This Bill seeks to amend 13 different statutes.
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The following Presentation, prepared by the City of Toronto, provides information/perspective on the proposed changes: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2019/cc/bgrd/backgroundfile-133199.pdf
Review the following Report for Action presented to City Council which details 38 Recommendations.
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2019/cc/bgrd/backgroundfile-133165.pdf
Bill 108 will:
- Bring back the planning powers of the OMB over Local Development
- Include a provision that would allow developers to eliminate Endangered Species if they Pay a Fee
- Dramatically weaken Heritage Protection
- Reduce Development Charges and Community Benefits
Councillor Mike Colle held a Town Hall on May 16th; Councillors Carroll, Filion and Robinson are holding a Town Hall at Earl Haig Secondary School and Councillors Wong Tam, Matlow and others are holding a Town Hall at City Hall this evening (Mon, May 27th).
This is a major issue – FoNTRA (the Federation of North Toronto Residents’ Associations), CORRA (the Confederation of Ratepayer and Resident Associations) and FUN (Federation of Urban Neighbourhoods) are all preparing submissions and have requested the right to depute at the one-day hearing.
It is important that the Public makes their opinions on Bill 108 known to the various government officials. The deadline is 11:59 a.m. June 1st. We would ask you to make your opinions known to:
Premier Doug Ford ([email protected])
Constituency office: 823 Albion Rd. Etobicoke M9V 1A3 416-745-2859
Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing ([email protected])
Constituency office: Suite 101-100 Stowger Blvd, Brockville K6V 5J9 1-800-267-4408
Robin Martin, MPP Eglinton-Lawrence ([email protected])
Constituency office: 2882 Dufferin St. Toronto M6B 3S6 416-781-2395
Impact of Bill 108
Despite its title, the Province’s Housing Supply Action Plan and Bill 108 do very little to support an increased supply of affordable housing (housing for the 20th-60th household income percentiles) and in certain instances are directly contrary to that goal, such as restricting the use of inclusionary zoning only to major transit stations. Even the proposed deferral of development charges for rental apartments is of questionable benefit given virtually all new rental units (apart from government subsidized units) are luxury units.
Collectively, Bill 108 is a highly politicized series of responses to requests by the development industry to reduce citizen and municipal input, control and appeal rights through changes to the – Planning Act, the Local Appeals Tribunal Act and the Development Charges Act – while simultaneously severely reducing environmental and heritage protections by – restricting and limiting Conservation Authority oversight, the Environmental Assessment Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Ontario Heritage Act. This includes significant new authorities to impose further future restrictions/limits solely via ministerial driven regulations.
The changes proposed in Bill 108 will affect the planning and financial tools to support new development in communities across Toronto that the City uses to provide:
- Parks
- Recreation Centres
- Childcare Centres
- Libraries
- Subsidized Housing
- Paramedic Services, and
- Other community infrastructure
It will also change where the City can require new affordable housing, how heritage buildings are conserved and how development applications are reviewed by the City and at the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT).
City Council has forwarded information on this issue to all the Residents Associations as the Associations and their Members in Toronto have a long history of engagement with the planning process. The City benefits from their passion and engagement in development applications, area studies and other consultation activities. You can review the City’s materials on Bill 108 at https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/bill-108-changes-to-ontarios-planning-system/.