Essa Township concerns to…

Essa Township concerns to Bill 23: DCA, CAA and Planning Act changes - concerns for a loss of ability to collect for projects currently eligible to be funded by developers so that growth pays for growth, concern for a loss of review of environmental matters and public input - contained in letter below:

On behalf of Essa Township, I am writing to express concern for Bill 23 (More Homes Built Faster Act) as currently posted on the Environmental Registry of ON (ERO) for consultation. Please kindly accept the following high level or general comments reflecting our municipality’s unease at this time.
Development Charges
Preliminary analysis of Bill 23 indicates that the municipality may miss out on much needed development charges for water and wastewater projects as well as other infrastructure projects. Our small municipality surely cannot bear the burden of expensive but needed expansions to water works and wastewater plants. Plus, we would hope to continue to fund master studies and purchase land through development charges.
As well, relying on 15 years of historical data for development charge calculations will most likely reduce what we can collect in development charges going forward to ensure that growth continues to fund future growth (our development charge consultant, Hemson, will be able to provide comparison estimates to depict the difference between a 15 year calculation and a 10 year calculation in the near future if need be).
Phasing in development charges could also lead to shortfalls in collections for projects and could cause administrative difficulties. Note that Essa plans to continue to review its development charges every 5 years (as opposed to 10) in order to ensure that all plans and figures are current.
Environmental Concerns
Changes to the Conservation Authorities Act may place a heavier burden on local municipalities to coordinate natural heritage peer reviews and lessen the opportunity for public review. We fear a lack of environmental review if Conservation Authorities are required to issue permits as ministerial orders are brought on-line.
Planning
Initial review has raised concern for the County’s ability to oversee growth across the region to ensure a coordinated approach to planning – the purpose and role of County planning and its official plan. Further, the limitations on the ability of the County to fund for housing projects will be detrimental to the provision of affordable and attainable housing in our area.
Essa Township supports increasing the supply of housing but is fearful for three units on single lots in communities expecting low density with limited services available.
Overall, Essa believes that public and professional input has been compromised with the timing and speed at which changes are taking place. Thank you for your consideration.
Yours respectfully,

Colleen Healey-Dowdall,
CAO, Essa Township.