The Conservative's…

The Conservative's Government rapid move to introduce Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, the day immediately following the municipal election, in many ways runs contrary to good planning and focuses on quantity over quality. It will also have a devastating effect on heritage conservation efforts.

Bill 23 proposes sweeping changes to how development will proceed in our city, beginning with the imposition of a housing target of 151,000 new homes through 2031. I suspect this number exceeds actual need related to projected growth.

The Bill has already passed Second Reading, without consultation other than in the GTA. Ottawa, the province's second largest city, has been left out of the discussion, although the same government sees it fit to provide the city's mayor with far-reaching authorities. Additionally, this omnibus Bill will require amendments to multiple statutes that will impact the Ontario Heritage Act, The Planning Act, and the Ontario Land Tribunal, among others.

Among its potentially devastating effects, Bill 23 will give Ministerial power to override heritage protection, cripple the Heritage Register by making it impossible to keep a property listed for more than two years, change the criteria required for heritage designation of buildings and districts, and eliminate third-party appeals to the Ontario Land Tribunal by community organizations and residents (only developers and municipalities will have that right).

In addition, Bill 23 will prohibit municipalities from seeking details about development projects through Site Plan Control on matters pertaining to sustainable design, building appearance and landscape features. These restrictions will encourage poor design that conflicts, rather than works with our streetscapes, and will surely have an impact on the City’s ability to create attractive spaces and our collective responsibility to promote sustainable development. Further, the proposed complete exemption of Site Plan Control for development projects with 10 or fewer residential units will only exacerbate these outcomes.

Bill 23 will also allow the development of three units per residential lot in the city. Without Site Plan Control and other checks and balances, this type of development could significantly compromise carefully prepared guidelines that protect designated heritage conservation districts, devastate non-designated heritage character areas, and negatively impact residential areas.

There is a need for increased housing in Ottawa, including in downtown neighbourhoods. There are many development opportunities in our communities, but development needs certain controls. In this way we will not lose the character of the neighbourhoods that drew us here in the first place.

I do not believe that Bill 23 is the answer. I certainly do not support a Bill that has been developed without consultation with the people most affected by it – homeowners, tenants, local businesses, and the unhoused, among others.