Please see the attached full…

Please see the attached full submission from the Ontario Home Builders' Association.

Please accept the below as our submission to the government’s request for feedback on a proposal for amendments to Ontario Regulation 406/19 (the Excess Soil Regulation) and the Rules for Soil Management and Excess Soil Quality Standards, which is being submitted on behalf of OHBA and its 28 local associations including but not limited to the Building and Land Development Association (BILD), West End Home Builders’ Association (WE HBA), Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GO HBA), and London Home Builders’ Association (LHBA).

OHBA continues to support provincial actions which streamline processes and approvals to facilitate the reuse of excess soils in a transparent and predictable framework that is required to support increasing housing supply. The residential construction industry has participated in and supported the general direction of several initiatives over the past few years to improve and modernize the excess soils framework in Ontario.

We can confidently say that several of the proposed amendments relating to greater flexibility of soil reuse are positive and will assist with the underlying intent of the Regulation. However, we would like to flag some overall themes and messaging that we are hearing from our members that we ask for additional consideration to be given, contained in our submission. OHBA believes it is in the interests of all for the Ministry to engage in more fulsome discussions with stakeholders prior to posting regulatory amendments on a go-forward basis.