Ontario’s Big City Mayors Statement on Presenting to the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy on Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022

*Please see below a statement issued by the Ontario's Big City Mayors caucus + the remarks from OBCM Chair, Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie during his presentation yesterday to the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy to discuss Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022.November 16, 2022Today, the Chair of Ontario’s Big City Mayors, Mayor Cam Guthrie, made a presentation to the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy to discuss Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022.Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) support the governments’ goal of building 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years, there is a housing crisis in Ontario and daily we see how this affects our residents. There are parts of Bill 23 that are positive, however we are concerned about unintended consequences of other aspects that we believe will impact our ability to build homes faster.

"The impacts of proposed changes to development charges (DC’s) on municipal revenues have not been fully considered. This revenue is critical to supporting the infrastructure required when building new homes. We are asking the province to activate the Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Team, first announced in the Spring, and that a review of the proposed changes to DC’s and Parkland Dedication Rates are the first on their agenda." -- OBCM Chair, Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie

OBCM believes the key to attainable and affordable housing is all partners working together to find solutions that reduce home prices, create green spaces, and include a sustainable funding model to address critical infrastructure deficits outside of the property tax base.OBCM is also asking for an extension of the commenting periods for the more than 20 regulatory and environmental registry postings under the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 so that recently elected municipal councils can work with the province to get this right.

"We want to thank the provincial government for asking us to speak on this bill, and to the other organizations who presented to committee on Bill 23 for the insights, knowledge and recommendations they shared as we work together to create legislation that will benefit all Ontarians." -- OBCM Chair, Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie

Click here to read remarks to Committee: OBCM Chair Mayor Cam Guthrie - Committee presentation on Bill 23 -- Nov. 16, 2022About Ontario’s Big City MayorsOntario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) includes mayors of 29 single and lower-tier cities with a population of 100,000 or more, who collectively represent nearly 70 per cent of Ontario’s population. OBCM advocates for issues and policies important to Ontario’s largest cities.RELATED LINKS:

• Burlington Council Unanimously Passes Bill 23 Resolution Asking for Extended Commenting Periods for Legislative Changes & More Fulsome Municipal Consultations
• TVO Today Article: How changes to conservations rules could affect Hamilton, Halton, and Niagara
• Conservation Halton Board Urges Ontario Premier to Press Pause on Bill 23 More Homes Built Faster 2022
• Province Introduces New Plan to Increase Housing Supply in Ontario