BILL 23 – Passed

MORE HOMES BUILT FASTER ONTARIO GREENBELT DEVELOPMENT NEWS

The Bill has passed allowing for a flurry of housing development amid criticism that it will leave municipalities short billions of dollars, increase property taxes and reduce the role of conservation authorities. Here are 5 Points You Should Know:

• Bill 23 — named the More Homes Built Faster Act was tabled on Oct. 25, the day after municipal elections were held across Ontario. It has wide-ranging implications for cities including in Simcoe County.
• The goal is to build 1.5 million homes in 10 years to address the current housing crisis.
• Critics are concerned about the proposed plan to redevelop 7,400 acres of the Ontario Green Belt, which runs from the Niagara region through Hamilton, around Toronto, up the Bruce Peninsula, and Lake Simcoe’s southeast side. It was created to shelter environmentally sensitive areas from development.
• Besides the environmental controversy, the bill limits the areas conservation authorities can consider in development permissions, removing factors such as pollution and conservation of the land.
• The economic controversy surrounding the passage of the bill is the freezing, reducing and exempting fees developers pay which the AMO (Ass’n of Municipalities of Ontario) claims could result in a $5 Billion shortage toward infrastructure to support the developments. This could result in higher taxes or service cuts.

LINK to CBC.CA Article