Aurora mayor slams Ontario provincial government's More Homes Built Faster Act

'One-size-fits-all approach' not appropriate for Aurora, newly re-elected Mayor Tom Mrakas says

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 27, 2022
Melissa Wallace

Mayor Tom Mrakas argues that the Province’s More Homes Built Faster Act will have a devastating impact on Aurora, according to an Oct. 26 statement.

“While I applaud the Province for taking bold steps forward to address the housing crisis affecting communities across the province, I don’t agree that a one-size-fits-all approach is the way to achieve it,” he said. “Aurora is NOT Toronto, or Mississauga or Brampton

“We are a small community where these types of ‘as-of-right’ decisions will have a devastating impact on our community. Instead of giving municipalities the tools necessary to incentivize the building of attainable housing, we have instead found ourselves being bludgeoned with Toronto-centric planning legislation, yet again.”

The proposed changes outlined in the legislation being tabled include:

• Removing planning responsibilities in Simcoe, Halton, Peel, York, Durham, Niagara and Waterloo and shifting approvals to the provincial minister of municipal affairs and housing, not the region;
• Limiting the role of conservation authorities;
• Reducing development charges and parkland requirements;
• Changes to the Heritage Act;
• Eliminating site plan control for residential development plans up to 10 units;
• Limiting scope of site-plan control by removing the ability to regulate architectural control and landscape design, meaning that Aurora will no longer be able to impose site plan control on infill housing;
• Eliminating the need for public hearings for every development draft plan;
• Limiting third-party appeals on any planning applications, including minor variances and consents. Community groups and neighbours will have to appeal to their local municipal council, which will now have limited to no authority to deny an application;
• The Ontario Land Tribunal can dismiss cases without a hearing and may award costs;
• Additional residential units will be permitted as a right, up to three units in a primary building or two units in a primary building and one in an ancillary building.

“With these new changes, local planners and municipal leaders -- those who understand the needs of their communities the best -- will have even less authority to affect meaningful change in local land-use planning,” said Mrakas.