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Council requests provincial government repeal Bill 23

December 1, 2022   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

Orangeville Town Council is taking a hard stance against the Ford government’s recently passed Bill 23.

A unanimously supported Notice of Motion brought forward by Mayor Lisa Post during council’s meeting on Nov. 28 highlighted a variety of issues with the bill and requests that it be repealed. The motion will also permit Mayor Post to send a letter to the provincial government addressing the town’s concerns with the bill.

Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, was passed on Nov. 28 and makes substantial changes to multiple pieces of legislation and regulations aimed at increasing housing supply and affordability.

However, it is unclear how the bill will “improve housing supply and affordability since, as presented, Bill 23 will reduce environmental protection, heritage conservation, and quality urban design considerations in all development approval matters beyond such that is strictly related to housing,” said Mayor Post in her motion.

The motion also notes that Bill 23 significantly reduces development charge revenues for growth-necessitated infrastructure and service improvements, and it’s unclear how this will translate into improved housing affordability. 

The motion comments on the other challenges municipalities are facing beyond costs and timelines, which require further strategies by the province to increase housing supply and affordability. This includes funding and accelerated implementation and approval support for significant municipal infrastructure expansions and upgrades.

“While council for the Town of Orangeville generally supports many of the revisions to provincial legislation where there is a clear connection to increasing housing supply and affordability, the Town of Orangeville concurs with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s (AMO) recent submission to the Standing Committee for Bill 23 stating in-part that ‘the province has offered no evidence that the radical elements of the Bill will improve housing affordability (and) it is more likely that the bill will enhance the profitability of the development industry at the expense of taxpayers and the natural environment,’” reads the motion.

Coun. Tess Prendergast noted that due to changes made to the way development charges are paid to municipalities by developers under Bill 23, the town will have a reduction in services or an increase in taxes to compensate for the lost revenue. 

She said her fear is single-dwelling homes being converted into triplexes, skirting development charges and that the bill promotes rent evictions. 

Deputy Mayor Todd Taylor also shared his concerns about the financial implications of the bill for municipalities.

The motion passed 7-0 during

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