Burlington Council Receives Bill 23 Parkland Dedication Bylaw Review Final Report from Watson & Associates Economist Ltd.

Burlington City Council recently received the final analysis report from consultant Watson & Associates Economist Ltd. on the Bill 23 Parkland Dedication Bylaw Review.The purpose of this report is to provide Council and the community with the financial implications as a result of changes from the Province's Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, to add to the presentation made to Committee on March 29, 2023 (report F-10-23, Bill 23 Financial Impact Analysis).This update takes into consideration the City’s need for future parkland in the recently approved Parks Provisioning Master Plan (PPMP) and the recent legislative amendments. The Background Report, included as Appendix A prepared by Watson & Associates Economists Ltd. (Watson & Associates) that informed a new parkland dedication bylaw for the City of Burlington.MY TAKE:This new analysis from staff and our consultant is very helpful for our advocacy efforts — and gives us the order of magnitude that we’re facing. We do need a plan to bring all of this together where we’re taking lead and not being solely reactive to what the Region is doing on this.Whether we want growth to come or not, it’s coming. We use every tool we have to scale it properly, but as long as the Ontario Land Tribunal has the ability to override our decisions as a municipality, it make our ability to do so very difficult. We need to plan for all needs: community amenities, jobs, services — that’s why we’ve said to the Province, this is not just about housing, but building complete communities that provide quality of life to our residents. If we don’t, the growth will still come and we won’t be able to provide the other important pieces. We need to plan for it, finance for it and advocate for it with all of our partners.

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To read staff's report and the review and background report from Watson & Associates, please click/tap the links below:

• Staff Report: F-11-23 Bill 23 Parkland Dedication By-Law Review.pdf
• Consultant's Review & Background Report: F-11-23 Appendix A Burlington Parkland Background Report Final.pdf

BACKGROUND:Burlington parks play a vital role in the social, economic, physical and mental well-being of residents. They are critical infrastructure to a healthy city and now recognized as powerful tools for local economies, climate mitigation and the preservation and conservation of plant and wildlife. As Burlington continues to grow, so does the pressure on the city’s parks. The City needs to work towards improving or expanding the parks system, otherwise there will be a deficiency in parkland as the existing number of parks cannot support the increased growth anticipated in the community.The City retained Watson & Associates to provide professional financial advice, legislation interpretation, guidance and support to inform the city’s new park dedication bylaw in relation to the legislative requirements and provide a financial impact analysis of the resulting changes, as detailed in the accompanying background report, Parkland Dedication Bylaw Review, attached as Appendix A.Parkland DedicationThe Planning Act allows municipalities to require land for parks (or other public recreational purpose) to be conveyed to the city as part of the approval of a development application. The contribution can come in the form of "land conveyance" (for a future park) or payment in lieu of land (that the city uses to purchase land for parks and other recreational purposes).Parkland Dedication policies are the tool that Burlington uses to acquire land and/or provide funding for new parks and recreational facilities as the city continues to grow.The Official Plan, required by the Planning Act, describes the City’s Park System and sets out the Parkland Dedication policies for the city. Section 42 of the Planning Act requires the city to have a Parkland Dedication Bylaw in order to require parkland dedication as a condition for some types of development or redevelopment in the City. This bylaw is applied when an applicant submits a building permit and the proposed form of development is applicable under the bylaw. The City’s Official Plan, and the newly adopted Parks Provisioning Master Plan (March 2023) provide the necessary precursors for the city to maintain the alternative rate requirement within the parkland dedication bylaw.