Jacob Polowin
Partner
Article
On May 2, 2019, the Ontario Government announced major changes to the planning and development regime through its Housing Supply Action Plan, and released the final version of its new Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, scheduled to come into force on May 16, 2019. The province intends to implement its Action Plan through Bill 108, the More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019, which it tabled the same day.
Bill 108 proposes to amend 13 different statutes, with the stated aim of reducing the costs and delays of development in order to increase the supply of affordable housing in Ontario. Of these 13 statutes, the most consequential changes for the development industry are to the Planning Act, Local Planning Appeal Tribunal Act, Development Charges Act, and Ontario Heritage Act. Highlights of the proposed changes include:
Many of the proposed amendments to the Planning Act, the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal Act, and the Ontario Heritage Act are intended to reverse the changes introduced by the previous Liberal Government in 2017 through Bill 139. Key amendments include:
Amendments to the Development Charges Act are similarly intended to reduce costs and provide increased predictability for developers, with key changes including:
These measures go a long way towards restoring a degree of predictability for developers, and towards reinforcing evidence-based planning decision-making. More details, including transition measures, will become apparent as regulations are released. We will continue to provide updates as more is known.
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