Bill 23 proposes changes to…

Bill 23 proposes changes to the Ontario Heritage Act on the premise that its “red tape” and restrictions impede development. There is absolutely no evidence to back up this assertion. To use the affordability housing tag to fundamentally dismantle the Ontario Heritage Act is also not borne out by reality.

Heritage designation under Part IV and Heritage Districts under Part V of the current Act have not deterred development. In fact, many developers have used Heritage to add caché and charm to their otherwise mundane projects. The bureaucracy of processing heritage applications can be time-consuming, sometimes due to the reluctance of municipalities to employ dedicated heritage planning staff and sometimes due to the reluctance of developers to provide adequate heritage impact assessments.

In the case of Heritage Conservation Districts, Design Guidelines are a requirement of the Act. Most guidelines that I have written or reviewed do not in any way deter development but rather direct development in an appropriate manner consistent with the heritage character a municipality wants to retain. Developers have actually found that this direction has led to desirable and profitable developments. The Bill, therefore, does not need to tamper with the Ontario Heritage Act, as it does not deter from providing affordable housing.

In fact, many municipalities have recently enacted bylaw changes allowing “coachhouse” development or additional units within existing residential structures. Heritage guidelines actually encourage this development which allows small up to 1000 square feet units within existing stable residential heritage neighbourhoods with infrastructure and services already in place. This approach would be much more likely to provide additional housing than any changes to the Ontario Heritage Act. This practice could also be expanded further by giving financial incentives to encourage homeowners to explore this attractive option. Such incentives would also help owners conserve and maintain there valuable heritage properties.