The numerous pieces of…

The numerous pieces of legislation passed by the Ontario Government, in an attempt to build more houses, does not appear to be accomplishing this goal.

What is happening is an increased burden on municipalities, councils and their staff to receive/review/comprehend the information being disseminated by the Province with short commenting windows, and without a clear understanding of the impact that the legislative changes will have on municipalities.

Bill 17 includes a number of proposed initiatives in the MMAH Technical Briefing, some of which seem appropriate (ie. As of Right Variations from Setback Requirements for Minor Variances, Preferential Treatment for Canadian Manufacturers, Increased Transparency Through Annual Reporting, defining "local services", Reviewing Corridor Management Permitting Process and Standards), and some which seem to be an administrative burden on municipalities (Accelerating Provincially Funded Projects Delivery, Planning Data and Building Code IT Solutions, Defer Payment of DCs for all Residential Development).

While it is stated a number of times in the Technical Briefing that there will be consultations with municipalities on various facets of this proposal, it will be interesting to see how and when this will occur, what information will be provided, and what resources (administrative and financial), will be provided to municipalities, already working with limited funds, to implement the changes.