Ontario’s recent Bill 60, the “Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act,” is a sweeping omnibus bill that would amend 16 different laws. While it aims to accelerate housing, the vague and widespread bill does little to get at the heart of the housing crisis. It also takes aim at several critical municipal planning authorities, including green development standards, undermining years of progress streamlining and harmonizing low-carbon development across the GTHA.
Update Nov 5: The government is fast-tracking Bill 60 (among two other bills), skipping the Interior Committee process, and going straight to Third Reading and a final vote where it will become law. This means the government is omitting a critical opportunity for legislative debate or amendments on the Bill, and reinforces the importance of consultation on the regulation through the Environmental Registry of Ontario.
Here’s what we know
In addition to the legislative changes proposed in Bill 60, the province removed Toronto’s authority to implement its longstanding green roof bylaw. This was passed via order–in –council, without public notice; typically, this would require legislation rather than an order in council. Other cities around the world have used Toronto’s green roof bylaw as a model, and it has been successful in absorbing 550 million litres of stormwater annually.
The Bill 60 briefing notes also state that it would “remove so-called green development standards at the lot level outside the building.” While there isn’t any language in the legislation that would directly remove green development standards, the government is holding several parallel consultations to inform future legislative and regulatory changes that could directly or indirectly impact municipal authorities on green standards.
- Official Plans: The province is consulting on potential future changes to “simplify and standardize the structure and contents of official plans across Ontario.” Proposals include prescribing both the format and content of Official Plans, which could limit the ability of municipalities to make local planning decisions that prioritize sustainability and climate action.
- Enhanced Development Standards: The province is consulting on potential future changes to “prohibit enhanced development standards” for anything outside of the building envelope. This could mean prohibiting certain standards such as permeable pavement, native tree planting, and bicycle parking. This would compromise cities’ ability to ensure appropriate stormwater management to protect communities from the impacts of increasingly frequent climate-driven extreme rainfall events.
- Planning Act: Bill 60 would provide the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing with the ability to override the Provincial Planning Statement. This would counteract the stated goal of consistency across municipalities, and would also allow the Minister to change previously approved decisions.
What you can do
The government is hosting open consultation on the proposed legislative changes via the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO). It takes about three minutes to complete a submission, and every action helps. There is a specific ERO for each of the proposed changes outlined above.
Submissions to these EROs are due by November 22. Submitting comments is simple – follow the links below, click on the “Submit a Comment” button (you can submit a comment without registering), and submit your response before November 22.
This ERO proposes the introduction of extensive restrictions on both the format and content of municipal official plans, and to require all cities to update their plans to comply.
In your submission, share why you think municipalities should retain decision making powers on what is best for their community.
This ERO proposes to prevent municipalities from having GDS that impact anything outside of the building envelope, like bicycle parking and native tree planting. Municipalities have enacted GDS based on their own local geography and priorities; this ERO seeks to standardize or eliminate those requirements.
In your submission, highlight why GDS are important (particularly for disaster prevention and stormwater management), why the differences in GDS metrics between communities exist (to better serve local geographic features) and why GDS are essential for healthy and livable communities.
This ERO suggests exemptions for the Minister to override the Provincial Planning Statement, reducing consistency across jurisdictions and undercutting local municipalities.
In your submission, highlight the importance of municipalities retaining local planning authority and preventing the Minister from overriding previously approved policies.
Contact us at policy@taf.ca with questions or if you’d like to read TAF’s submissions.
These changes will negatively impact me, my community, and the environment. I am firmly against this Bill.