Province sets housing targets for Aurora, Bradford, Stouffville, Georgina and East Gwillimbury

Newmarket declined to sign housing pledge, saying it can't achieve province's unattainable target

Yorkregion.com
Aug. 23, 2023
Lisa Queen

Just weeks after Newmarket Mayor John Taylor was denied strong mayor powers after saying the town couldn’t meet what he calls the province’s unattainable housing pledge, Queen’s Park has set new development targets for local communities.

The municipalities will be given strong mayor powers if they pledge to meet the government’s housing targets.

Those powers include allowing mayors to propose housing-related bylaws and pass them with the support of only one-third of council. They can also override council approval of certain bylaws and prepare their municipality’s budget rather than council doing it.

While the province had already set housing targets in York Region for Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Vaughan and Markham, on Aug. 21 it released targets for Aurora, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Georgina and East Gwillimbury.

That leaves King Township as the only municipality without a housing target, although a large subdivision and possible future Southlake Regional Health Centre are expected to be built at Bathurst Street and Miller’s Sideroad as part of a controversial move to remove the land from the Greenbelt for development.

The housing targets are part of the province’s goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031 to address the housing crisis.

Local housing targets are:

Aurora, 8,000 new homes

Bradford West Gwillimbury, 6,500

Whitchurch-Stouffville, 6,500

Georgina, 6,200

East Gwillimbury, 4,300

Markham, 44,000

Vaughan, 42,000

Richmond Hill, 27,000

Newmarket, 12,000

In addition to strong mayor powers, communities that pledge to meet their targets will receive money from the provincial $1.2 billion Building Faster Fund that will provide up to $400 million per year to municipalities.

The money will be divvied up based on municipalities’ share of the housing targets and their ability to meet them.

In June, the province denied Taylor strong mayor powers after he declined to sign the housing pledge, saying Newmarket doesn’t have sewage capacity to accommodate 12,000 by 2031 after successive governments at Queen’s Park took years to approve a needed sewage solution for Newmarket, Aurora and East Gwillimbury to accommodate growth.

Taylor, who supports building more housing, said he doesn’t want the powers as he prefers to lead through consultation.

After Newmarket didn’t sign the pledge, the province also appointed an auditor to review the town’s books.