‘Narrow-minded’ Bill 23 panned by Hamilton staffers, council

City planners and councillors point to holes in provincial plan to spur housing in Ontario

Thestar.com
Nov. 30, 2022
Teviah Moro

Hamilton city officials are bracing for a slew of changes meant to boost Ontario’s housing supply they warn will instead spell grief for local planners and taxpayers alike.

The province says the aim of Bill 23 -- the More Homes Built Faster Act -- is to help create 1.5 million homes over 10 years and tackle affordability through streamlined approvals and development incentives.

But at city hall Tuesday, planners hammered home that they don’t believe the recently passed wide-reaching legislation that includes a softening of development fees will translate into lower housing costs.

“Will the purchaser or tenant actually benefit from that? In past practice, the answer is no,” chief planner Steve Robichaud told city councillors. “The developer keeps those profits and prices stay the same.”

Moreover, the city has made “very progressive and proactive” strides in reforms to residential zoning that lay the groundwork to boost Hamilton’s housing supply, Robichaud added. “We thank you, but no thank you.”

Coun. Ted McMeekin, meanwhile, lamented Bill 23 “just breaks my heart,” noting his role in introducing inclusionary zoning to Ontario as minister of municipal affairs and housing under the previous Liberal government.

The scope of that tool, which allows municipalities to require developers to set aside a certain percentage of affordable units when they build housing, has been scaled back under the current Progressive Conservatives.

Bill 23 is “the most narrow-minded, misguided initiative in Ontario political history,” said McMeekin, newly elected to Flamborough in the Oct. 24 municipal vote. “It makes no sense.”

But in an interview, the CEO of the West End Home Builders’ Association, praised the province for bringing forth changes to encourage affordable residential development amid a housing crisis.

“I’m personally now tired of hearing municipal politicians talk about affordable housing when they don’t want to discount the development charges on affordable housing,” Mike Collins-Williams said.

During Tuesday’s long session, city planners walked the new council through a conveyer belt of provincial shifts meant to spur housing development in Ontario.

They included the province’s recent decision to override the local plan to hold long-term growth to the city’s urban boundary and instead order expansion in 5,430 acres (2,200 hectares) of rural lands.

Staff also brought councillors up to speed on the province’s controversial proposal to pull 7,400 acres of land out of Ontario’s Greenbelt, including 1,960 acres in Hamilton.

“First and foremost, the city does not require any additional lands to accommodate residential growth,” senior project manager Heather Travis said.

The province’s Greenbelt plan and Bill 23 have sparked rallies in Hamilton and across Ontario raising alarm bells over urban sprawl into farmland and natural areas.

In an emailed statement, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing said the government is “considering every possible option to get more homes built faster so more Ontarians can find a home that meets their needs and budget.”

The ministry said proposed Greenbelt changes would “lead to the creation of at least 50,000 new homes, while leading to an overall expansion” of roughly 2,000 acres to the protected area -- but that assertion has been challenged by environmental groups who have said some of the new lands are already under protection.

The ministry expects development of the removed Greenbelt lands would begin before 2025 or else “our government will return these properties to the Greenbelt.”

Bill 23, meanwhile, is geared to “help cities, towns and rural communities grow with a mix of ownership and rental housing types that meet the needs of all Ontarians -- from single-family homes to townhomes and mid-use apartments.”

However, in a letter to the ministry, Jason Thorne, the city’s general manager of planning and economic development, said the bill’s sweeping changes “will not effectively support these goals.”

They are “contrary to balanced decision-making, protection of the natural environment and parkland, building complete communities and public spaces, good quality architecture and design, and affordable or attainable housing.”

The changes will also erode policies for environmental protection, heritage conservation and urban design, Thorne says.

Council is to hear from the city’s general manager of finance and corporate services Wednesday about changes to development charges, including freezes and reductions, in Bill 23.

In a separate letter, Mike Zegarac characterizes those as “incentives to developers on the backs of municipalities” and local taxpayers that “may further exacerbate the rising cost of living for Ontarians.”

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), meanwhile, shares Hamilton’s concerns, estimating development charge revenues for the province’s 29 largest municipalities will plummet by “at least” $5.1 billion -- or $569 million a year.

Bill 23 is “not about affordable housing” but “about making other people rich and destroying the environment,” Kojo Damptey, of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, told Tuesday’s planning committee.

Collins-Williams, however, argued there’s “smoke and mirrors” in the public discourse about Bill 23, noting the bill’s focus on increasing affordable and non-profit housing amid escalating development charges.