"WHEREAS the provincial government passed Bill 23, More Home Built Faster Act, 2022 on November 28, 2022 with regulations and changes to several provincial acts which will have a significant impact on municipalities in the province;
WHEREAS notwithstanding there are parts of Bill 23 that will help build homes faster, Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) have written to Premier Doug Ford and Minister Steve Clark regarding their concerns with Bill 23, and have presented to the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy;
WHEREAS the OBCM mayors have noted significant concerns relating to the impact on the collection of development charges and parkland levies, that will result in billions of dollars worth of infrastructure deficits that, without offsetting, will severely impact the current tax base as well as impact how municipalities will fund parkland spaces;
WHEREAS the impacts of this revenue shortfall will result in property tax increases and severely impact a municipality’s ability to build the infrastructure needed to support the creation of new homes including roads, sewer and water systems, and supports for the delivery of fire and police services, delaying the building of new homes;
WHEREAS municipal audits announced by the province in selected municipalities will show how these reserve funds are allocated by each municipality to pay for the cost of this needed infrastructure, based on legislation from the province that strictly sets out their uses;
WHEREAS all partners in the homebuilding process, including municipalities who have responsibility for permitting, approvals and servicing, and developers who are responsible for getting shovels in the ground, can improve processes geared toward their part of creating a new housing supply;
WHEREAS while the municipal sector can help cut red tape and speed up the municipal approvals process, it is the responsibility of the province to look at delays within their ministries, and the responsibility of developers and home builders to further coordinate the building of homes in a timely manner once development approvals are in place;
WHEREAS the province has not identified accountability measures for all parties involved in creating housing, nor has the province identified annual targets to demonstrate incremental goals to build 1.5 million homes over the next decade;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of Kitchener endorse and support the OBCM mayors request to the province immediately pause the implementation of changes to the development charges act and parkland fee reductions in Bill 23 until cities have been consulted on finding solutions to the impacts that these changes will have to our communities;
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City request the province put in place the Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Table immediately and establish a terms of reference for the implementation table, and that Bill 23 is considered a priority in consultation with municipalities and other stakeholders in the home building industry;
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City request the province work with municipalities to re-open the discussion on a new long-term permanent municipal funding strategy to maintain services and fund critical infrastructure projects, and include the federal government to discuss joint solutions such as allocating a portion of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) to cities, allowing municipalities to build the housing that Ontarians need without having the burden fall on the existing property tax base; THAT while this work on an additional long-term municipal funding strategy is underway, municipalities are made whole, dollar-for-dollar, by the province to eliminate the unintended consequences of revenue reductions associated with Bill 23 changes;
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the City of Kitchener endorse and support the OBCM request to hold all stakeholders (provincial ministries, municipalities, developers, and homebuilders) jointly accountable for their part of the home building process through the upcoming housing unit pledge exercise, due to the province by March 1st;
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the City of Kitchener endorse and support the OBCM request to urge the province work with each municipality and all other partners in the homebuilding process to identify annual targets, with agreed upon accountability measures and metrics put in place based on each partner’s role in the homebuilding process;
THEREFORE IT BE FINALLY RESOLVED that City request the Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Table regularly identify to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing legislative and regulatory amendments to mitigate or eliminate unintended consequences of Bill 23, inclusive of the effects of outside and market forces that may impact the achievement of these targets."
Carried, unanimously.
Mayor B. Vrbanovic then assumed the Chair.