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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPDS-054-22Clarftwn Staff Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131. Report To: Planning and Development Committee Date of Meeting: December 5, 2022 Report Number: PDS-054-22 Submitted By: Carlos Salazar, Director of Planning and Infrastructure Services Reviewed By: Mary -Anne Dempster, CAO Resolution#: PD-102-22 File Number: PLN 1.1.28 By-law Number: 2022-062 Report Subject: More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 (Bill 23); Comments Recommendations: 1. That Report PSD-054-22 be received; 2. That Report PSD-054-22 be adopted as the Municipality of Clarington's comments to the Province on the proposed changes introduced under the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 (Bill 23); 3. That Provincial intervention in the form of settlement area boundary expansions, Minister's Zoning Orders and changes to the Greenbelt is not required, nor is it supported because Clarington has sufficient housing capacity in the form of approved and planned residential units to accommodate the Province's assigned Housing Target of 13,000 homes by 2031; 4. That Staff be directed to assess and include the resources necessary (staffing, consulting) to address the implications resulting from Bill 23 as part of the 2023 Budget; 5. That a copy of Report PSD-054-22 and Council's decision be sent to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Region of Durham, conservation authority partners, and the other Durham Region area municipalities; and 6. That all interested parties listed in Report PSD-054-22 and any delegations be advised of Council's decision. Municipality of Clarington Page 2 Report PDS-054-22 Report Overview On October 25, 2022, the Ontario Government introduced legislation under the More Homes, Built Faster Act (Bill 23). If passed, the legislation would result in drastic changes to the municipal land use approval process. According to the Province, the purpose of Bill 23 is to build housing faster and bring costs down. These legislative changes would impact Clarington's powers under the Planning Act, the Ontario Heritage Act, and the Development Charges Act, and our working relationship with our Regional and Conservation Authority partners. In addition, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has written to inform Council of the expectation that Clarington will take the necessary steps to facilitate the construction of 13,000 new dwelling units by 2031. The Municipality is expected to sign a pledge to commit to this target, and to deliver the pledge to the Minister no later than March 1, 2023. The initial deadline for comments to the Province on Bill 23 was November 24, 2022. Staff submitted draft Municipal comments on November 24, subject to Council ratification/modification. Bill 23 received Royal Assent on November 28, notwithstanding the Province had extended the commenting period to December 9, 2022. The report was prepared in advance of the enactment of Bill 23, and therefore reflects the proposed status of the Bill at the time writing. The purpose of this report is to (i) summarize the Province's changes under Bill 23 (ii) present staff's comments on the changes submitted to the Province as draft to meet the tight commenting deadline, and (iii) bring forward recommendations to address potential implications of the legislation for Council's consideration. 1. Background 1.1 The province is taking swift action to implement the 55 recommendations set out in the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force Report, released February 8, 2022. The recommendations set the foundation for the provincial target to build 1.5 million homes in Ontario over the next 10 years and provide direction for the province to take action to increase density, streamline development processes, cut red tape, improve the efficiency of the Ontario Land Tribunal, and provide funding to support municipal transformation. 1.2 To date, several major steps have been taken by the Province in implementing the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force recommendations. These include: • April 14, 2022 - enactment of Bill 109, the More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022; Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-054-22 Page 3 October 25, 2022 — introduction of Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022; • October 25, 2022 - launch of 20 consultation postings regarding the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 on the Environmental Registry and Regulatory Registry of Ontario (ERO), including a 66-day consultation period on the Review of A Place to Grow and Provincial Policy Statement; • November 4, 2022 — launch of a 30-day consultation on proposed changes to the Greenbelt Plan. 1.3 The potential impacts of these initiatives would result in significant changes to Ontario's land use planning and approvals processes and regulatory regime and have significant financial and resource implications for the Municipality. 1.4 Bill 23 is wide-ranging and makes changes to ten difference acts and numerous related regulations. The purpose of this report is to (i) summarize the Province's proposed changes to the legislation under Bill 23 that would have the most significant impacts on the Municipality, including the Planning Act, the Ontario Heritage Act, the Conservation Authorities Act, and the Development Charges Act, and (ii) present staff's comments on the proposed changes for Council's consideration. 1.5 The initial 30-day commenting period for submissions on Bill 23 closed on November 24, 2022. As noted above, draft municipal comments were submitted to the Province in order meet the commenting deadline positioned immediately after Ontario's municipal elections. 1.6 On November 23, the Province introduced amendments to Bill 23, and extended the commenting deadline on certain components to December 9, 2022. On November 28, Bill 23, as amended, received Royal Assent. The updates to the original Bill 23 are noted in the report, as applicable. 1.7 Proposed changes, staff's comments, and recommendations to address the potential implications of Bill 109 and proposed changes to the Greenbelt are the subject of separate reports PDS-051-22 and PDS-059-22, respectively. The assessment of and proposed approach for responding to the Planning Act amendments of the Supporting People and Businesses Act, 2021 will be the subject of a separate report to Council in the new year. 2. Summary of Proposed Changes under Bill 23 2.1 The More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 (Bill 23) carries forward a number of recommendations from the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force Report, as well as Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-054-22 Page 4 several additional actions to enable the Province to reach its goal to build 1.5 million homes by 2031. 2.2 The following sections summarize the amendments under Bill 23 to the Planning Act, the Ontario Heritage Act, the Conservation Authorities Act, and the Development Charges Act that have potential impacts to the Municipality. Restricting Site Plan and Urban Design Tools (Planning Act) 2.3 Removes completely the requirement for site plan approval for residential developments under ten units (currently Clarington's Site Plan Control By-law regulates any residential development of three or more units). 2.4 Takes away the ability to review and influence urban design, building aesthetics, and landscape design as part of the site plan process for all types of development (including non-residential). Mandatory Land Use Permissions to Enable Increased Density (Planning Act) 2.5 Overrides municipal zoning provisions to permit as -of -right, up to three residential units on an urban residential lot. This could be three units in a detached, semi-detached, or rowhouse, or up to two residential units in the main building and up to one residential unit in an accessory building on the lot. There is also a new requirement that an official plan cannot contain any policy requiring more than one parking space for each of these residential units. 2.6 Requires municipalities to update zoning to include minimum heights and densities within approved Major Transit Station Areas (MTSA) (in Bowmanville and Courtice). This work would be required to be completed within one year of the MTSA being approved by the Province. Public Engagement and the Municipal Planning Framework (Planning Act) 2.7 Removes third party (members of the public) appeal rights to the Ontario Land Tribunal for minor variance applications and eliminates the requirement to hold a statutory public meeting prior to the approval of draft plan of subdivision applications. 2.8 Identifies Durham Region as an upper -tier municipality without planning responsibilities, which would mean Durham Region would no longer have (i) the authority to create a Regional Official Plan (ii) involvement in the review of Planning Act applications and approvals, and (iii) appeal rights as a public body on any Planning Act applications. 2.9 Makes the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing the approval authority for all lower - tier official plans and official plan amendments, and require Clarington, as the lower -tier Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-054-22 Page 5 municipality, to absorb components of the Durham Regional Official Plan (DROP) that apply, with the ability to amend or repeal the DROP at the time of the next Clarington Official Plan review. Natural Heritage and the Role of Conservation Authorities (Planning Act and Conservation Authorities Act) 2.10 Removes Conservation Authorities from the planning process unless the application deals with flood prevention and natural hazards and eliminates the ability of Conservation Authorities to regulate and comment on the effects on pollution or the conservation of land as part of their permitting process. This includes Conservation Authorities' ability to provide technical expertise/services to municipalities on Planning Act matters. 2.11 Proposes to revise the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System and develop a program to offset impacts of development on wetlands, including reducing assessment and approvals processes, and criteria to determine and identify significant wetlands and their boundaries. Parkland Requirements and Development Charges (Planning Act and Development Charges Act) 2.12 Reduces alternative parkland dedication rates by half (from 1 ha per 300 dwelling units to 1 ha per 600 dwelling units where parkland is conveyed or from 1 ha per 500 dwelling units to 1 per 1000 dwelling units for cash -in -lieu contributions) and introduces a maximum parkland/cash-in-lieu cap for residential development. 2.13 Freezes parkland dedication rates as of the date a zoning by-law or site plan application is filed and maintains the freeze for up to two years following approval. 2.14 Allows landowners to identify the land they intend to provide for parkland, including allowing for encumbered parkland/strata parks, and privately owned publicly accessible parks, and introduces a new avenue of appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal if there is a disagreement about the parkland being provided. 2.15 Reduces or exempts parkland dedication requirements, development charges and Community Benefit Charges requirements for affordable housing, attainable housing, and housing developed through an inclusionary zoning program. 2.16 Phases implementation of development charges increases over five years, beginning with a 20 per cent reduction in the first year, and decreasing the reduction by five per cent year by year until the full new rate applies. This would apply to all new Development Charges by-laws passed since January 1, 2022 (the original version of Bill 23 applied this change to by-laws passed since June 1, 2022). Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-054-22 Page 6 2.17 Requires municipalities to spend or allocate 60 per cent of parkland reserves annually and spend or allocate at least 60 per cent of DC reserves annually for priority services (water, wastewater, and roads). Cultural Heritage Conservation (Ontario Heritage Act) 2.18 Implements higher threshold criteria to designate properties with cultural heritage value, making it more difficult for municipalities to protect cultural heritage resources. 2.19 Requires a non -designated (listed) property on the Municipal Register under s. 27 of the Ontario Heritage Act to be removed after two years if no notice of intent to designate has been issued. 2.20 Further limits when a notice of intent to designate can be issued for a property that is subject to certain Planning Act applications to only allow the notice to be issued if the property is already listed on the Municipal Register under section 27 at the time the planning application is submitted. Municipal Housing Target 2.21 In addition to the changes introduced through Bill 23 outlined above, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing informed Council of the expectation that Clarington will take the necessary steps to facilitate the construction of 13,000 new homes by 2031. The Municipality is also expected to sign a pledge to commit to this target, and to deliver the pledge to the Minister no later than March 1, 2023. This component is discussed in Section 4, below. Review of A Place to Grow Growth Plan and Provincial Policy Statement 2.22 A public consultation period has been launched advising the Province is undertaking a housing -focused review of A Place to Grow Growth Plan and the Provincial Policy Statement, 2020. The intent of the review would be to integrate the two documents into a new province -wide policy document with a new approach to accelerating housing development and increasing housing supply (including rural housing) through a streamlined policy framework. Consultation on this matter closes on December 30, 2022. Timing of Proposed Amendments 2.23 The timelines for the proposed changes taking effect varies, with some to come into force upon Bill 23 receiving Royal Assent, while others would come into force by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor, the date of which is not yet known. There are also several associated regulations expected to accompany the changes to Acts Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-054-22 Page 7 proposed under Bill 23 that have not yet been released. As such, it is challenging to assess the full scale of potential impacts until all relevant details have been shared. 2.24 On November 23 and November 28, Bill 23 was revised to: • Maintain third party appeals for official plan and zoning by-law amendments, and consent applications as they currently are today. Third party appeals are still proposed to be removed for minor variance applications; • Move the five-year phase in for development charges by-law from June 1, 2022 back to January 1, 2022; • Clarify that municipalities can continue to use site plan to regulate exterior elements that relate to green roofs, or implement by-laws passed under the Municipal Act related to environmental standards in the Ontario Building Code; • Add that the scope of site plan control can include the appearance of elements, works, and facilities that relate to sustainable design; • Introduce a new component to the Bill that proposes to amend the Planning Act to remove the existing two-year freeze on applications to amend a new official plan or zoning by-law within two years of it coming into effect (including applications for minor variance); and • Provide that community benefits charges agreements can be entered into and registered on title. 2.25 Comments on and concerns about the significant amendments under Bill 23 are presented in the sections below. 3. Key Comments and Concerns on Bill 23 General Comments 3.1 Staff recognizes the need to address the housing crisis in Ontario and supports Provincial efforts to streamline and find efficiencies in process to address housing supply and affordability. 3.2 However, Clarington staff is concerned that the proposed changes threaten significant adverse impacts on (i) our quality of life by reducing parkland requirements and eliminating good building design and landscaping from site plan (ii) the protection of our natural and built heritage (iii) and our fiscal ability to provide for parks, services, and infrastructure by eliminating development charges for many types of residential development. Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-054-22 Page 8 3.3 The changes proposed under Bill 23 may not effectively achieve the desired increase in housing supply but will (i) remove key partnerships and areas of expertise and assessment, and (ii) eliminate quality control checks and balances built into the planning and development approvals process that are designed to ensure growth and development takes place in an environmentally respectful and socially responsible way. 3.4 The proposed changes are intended to remove perceived barriers identified by the province as impacting the ability to increase Ontario's housing supply. However, variables such as increasing interest rates, a slow -down of the construction market, and rising labour costs also influence when developers pull permits to advance approved housing units and are beyond the control of local councils. This illustrates a valuable point about the extent to which municipalities have control over the development process, and one that has not been acknowledged as part of the Province's multi -part action plan to address the housing crisis 3.5 The Province is requested to provide information on how the cost savings and approval process efficiencies afforded to developers as a result of the proposed changes will be passed onto consumers in the form of more affordable, better quality housing choices. Site Plan Control and Urban Design 3.6 The Official Plan establishes a vision for Clarington as a place where buildings and landscaping are of high quality. Staff has concerns about the removal of urban, landscape from the scope of site plan approval, given the significant contributions of design and landscape to neighbourhood and heritage character and the quality of our commercial and industrial areas, in addition to making us more resilient to climate change. 3.7 Clarington requests the Province not to remove building quality, and landscaping from the scope of site plan. This removal will result in a deterioration of the qualify of development in our communities. The updates to Bill 23 that clarify elements relating to sustainable design and environmental standards are supported. Mandatory Land Use Permissions to Major Transit Station Areas 3.8 The mandatory requirements to complete zoning for Major Transit Station Areas within one year of approval are aggressive. Clarington has two MTSAs currently involved in secondary planning studies. To implement these changes, Clarington will require additional and reallocation of resources, as well as the reprioritization of current projects. 3.9 The Province is requested to provide municipalities such as Clarington with the support and resources necessary to implement the requirements for MTSAs. Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-054-22 Conservation Authorities Page 9 3.10 The proposed changes to restrict the role of Conservation Authorities in the planning and development review process will result in detrimental impacts to natural heritage and hydrological features and functions. The changes threaten to compromise much of the valuable natural heritage systems planning of the last two decades and will make people and property more vulnerable to the increasing effects of climate change. 3.11 Clarington relies on Conservation Authority staff's technical expertise in the review of plans and development applications to (i) achieve optimal design (ii) minimize adverse impacts on public safety and property, and (iii) protect vital natural heritage and hydrological systems. The proposed changes would eliminate an established partnership of collaboration and resources that provides valuable expertise and efficiencies in the review of development applications and supporting technical studies. 3.12 The Province is requested not to pursue the proposed amendments as presented, and to continue to enable municipalities to work with their Conservation Authority partners for the provision of these services. Consideration should be given to identifying the Province as the approval authority for Memorandums of Understanding to ensure the scope of the relationship remains efficient and effective. The Province is also requested to provide the Municipality and the conservation authority with enough time to streamline and reduce any duplication in the development review process. Natural Heritage 3.13 The proposed revisions to the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System will make wetlands vulnerable to development pressures and increase public safety risks associated with flooding and erosion that will have to be dealt with by municipalities, at considerable cost. 3.14 The Province is requested to maintain the existing Evaluation System and respect the integrity of wetlands complexes for the critical role they serve as part of the natural heritage system, and flood and climate change mitigation. Regional Planning Framework 3.15 Regional planning provides a valuable role that integrates long-term land use planning and infrastructure. This also provides for intermunicipal cooperation and coordination to maximize efficiency and return on public investment. 3.16 The Province is requested to amend Bill 23 to maintain the regional planning role for the purposes of coordinating long-range land use planning and infrastructure. Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-054-22 Page 10 3.17 An official plan represents a road map for how a municipality will grow and develop and outlines the projects and investments necessary to support that vision. The Province is requested to provide information about how upper -tier municipalities without planning responsibilities would continue to implement capital projects for transportation and servicing infrastructure without a regional planning function nor a regional official plan in place to enable such projects. Parkland 3.18 There are significant concerns with the proposed changes to the Planning Act to cut in half alternative parkland dedication requirements for all types of development. Parkland will become increasingly important for the health and wellbeing of residents as municipalities plan for increasingly dense residential development. Increased density means a need for more community parkland, not less. 3.19 Requiring municipalities to accept encumbered lands for parks purposes will detrimentally impact the Municipality's ability to deliver access to quality, safe and functional park spaces for residents. 3.20 The Province is requested not to change the parkland dedication ratios and continue to allow municipalities to determine what they will accept for parkland dedication. Development Charges 3.21 The proposed reductions and exemptions from development charges requirements contradicts the long-standing pillar of municipal financial sustainability requiring growth to pay for growth. Development charges collected are put towards critical studies and infrastructure needed to support new development, including water, wastewater, sidewalks and roads. 3.22 The substantial municipal budget shortfalls resulting from these changes would shift the burden of the cost of growth from developers onto taxpayers, with the alternative being a reduction in overall service levels. The impact of reduced service levels would be felt more acutely as we plan for denser housing forms that would rely more heavily on public spaces and community services. 3.23 The Province is requested not to make changes to the current development charges framework. Should the Province pass Bill 23 as proposed, the Province is requested to provide alternative funding to municipalities to offset the substantial impact of the proposed reductions in development charges as well as additional funding for resource requirements resulting from any realigning of the functions of regional planning and the conservation authorities. Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-054-22 Cultural Heritage Conservation Page 11 3.24 The current process to designate a property under the Ontario Heritage Act is robust. On average, Clarington designates 1-2 properties per year. The proposed changes will place significant pressure on Clarington Council and staff to review and update the Municipal Register in the short-term, so as to not risk losing valuable cultural heritage resources. Clarington has listed properties under section 27 to acknowledge cultural heritage value and protect buildings without imposing additional restrictions or approvals processes for homeowners. Section 27 has been particularly beneficial in the context of the increasing difficulty designated property owners are having obtaining property insurance. 3.25 The Province is requested not to pursue the changes to the Ontario Heritage Act. However, should Bill 23 be passed as presented, the Province is requested to provide additional resources to municipalities to implement the proposed changes to the Ontario Heritage Act on an ongoing basis to ensure (i) new properties added to the Municipal Register are adequately evaluated within the identified time window, and (ii) properties with potential cultural heritage value or interest within areas designated for development are added to the Municipal Register to ensure protection prior to the submission of Planning Act applications. Public Engagement 3.26 Public participation is long established as a cornerstone of local planning and decision making in the public interest. Even as legislated requirements for public participation change, as the most accessible level of government to the public, staff and Council will have to continue to consider how to best address comments and concerns to ensure decisions on applications continue to consider all perspectives and represent good planning. Resource, Time, and Transition Considerations 3.27 The removal of Durham Region and the Conservation Authorities from Planning Act processes, and the down- and off-loading of responsibilities to lower -tier municipalities means Clarington would have to assess and assume the cost of staffing resources to carry out these functions. This will place increased pressure on existing municipal staff and impact application processing timelines in situations where in-house expertise to complete adequate reviews is not currently present. 3.28 The situation noted in Comment 3.27 above will impede the achievement of new prescribed planning application timelines and processing requirements under Bill 109, currently scheduled to take effect January 1, 2023 (see PDS-051-22). Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-054-22 Page 12 3.29 If passed, the Province is requested to add transition provisions in order to afford municipalities and stakeholders reasonable time to understand and assess how to best implement the new processes and requirements, particularly where it concerns new responsibilities for lower -tier municipalities that require additional resource acquisition and budget. 4. Provincial Housing Target and Clarington Housing Supply Provincial Housing Target for Clarington 4.1 The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing informed Council of the expectation that Clarington will take the necessary steps to facilitate the construction of 13,000 new homes by 2031. The Municipality is also expected to sign a pledge to commit to this target, and to deliver the pledge to the Minister no later than March 1, 2023. 4.2 Staff will bring forward recommendations for a strategy for Council's consideration in early 2023. In that short time, resources and priorities will have to shift focus, and additional resources will be required to develop the housing pledge and outline how to achieve the construction the 13,000 homes by 2031, which may include the following components: • Prioritization of applications that have or will have the planning framework (secondary plans/zoning) and infrastructure now or within the next three years. Completion of the Bowmanville and Courtice GO Station Areas Secondary Plans and zoning within a year of the Major Transit Station Areas being approved by the Province, as required by Bill 23. Pausing certain secondary plan studies, where it is unlikely that the servicing/transportation infrastructure can be implemented to enable construction by 2031. This would allow the focus of resources on those areas that can support construction in the next 5 years. 4.3 It should also be recognized that even once residential units are approved in secondary plans, municipalities cannot dictate when the homes are built. In order to ensure the construction of the homes can take place by 2031, there must be cooperation and commitment from landowners/developers to not only submit development and building permit applications as soon as they are eligible, but also construct the units. Clarington Housing Supply 4.4 Currently, the Municipality has a supply of over 5,000 residential units based on approved applications over the last 10 years. Approved applications include units that Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-054-22 Page 13 are within a draft approved plan of subdivision, registered vacant lots within a subdivision, or site plan approved units. This does not include the supply of units that may have received development approvals prior to 2011, which is being calculated. 4.5 Close to 9,000 residential units have recently been approved in three of Clarington's Secondary Plans (Brookhill, Southeast Courtice and Southwest Courtice) for which development applications are now being received. The capacity of residential units approved in secondary plans will continue to grow over the next two years as our ongoing secondary plans are completed (including two high -growth MTSAs). 4.6 The Region has forecasted approximately 13,000 units for the Courtice MTSA and approximately 9,000 units for the Bowmanville MTSA. Bill 23 requires planning and zoning for MTSAs to be in place within one year of the Province's approval. Currently, the Region's official plan amendment delineating Durham's MTSAs is before the Province for approval, therefore it is estimated that this would mean planning and zoning for the MTSAs would be required to be complete by 2024-2025. 4.7 Clarington's planned housing supply is sufficient to meet the housing target assigned by the Province. Therefore, Clarington does not need additional Provincial intervention in the form of settlement area boundary expansions, Minister's Zoning Orders (MZOs), or changes to the Greenbelt boundary to achieve the target assigned by the Province or to meet our own population forecasts beyond 2031. However, we look forward to cooperating with the Province in advancing affordable non-profit housing and job creation. 4.8 Over the last 5 years, Clarington has averaged around 700 new residential building permits per year. To meet the Province's housing target, at least 1,400 units would have to be built each year to 2031, meaning the number of building permit applications issued would need to double in order to achieve the construction of 13,000 units by 2031. 4.9 While there is sufficient planned housing capacity to meet Province's housing target, the target is very optimistic given Clarington is among several lakeshore municipalities that will be striving to achieve their own, higher, housing targets and competing for limited development and construction industry resources. Comments 4.10 Clarington has sufficient planned and approved capacity to accommodate our forecasted growth to the achieve the expedited housing target for 2031, and beyond to achieve our planned population growth to 2051, without the need for additional Provincial intervention. 4.11 The housing pledge requiring Clarington's commitment to the assigned residential unit target should be undertaken collaboratively with Durham Region (for Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-054-22 Page 14 servicing/infrastructure commitments) and landowners/developers whose lands are identified for inclusion in the 13,000 housing units. This is necessary to ensure the lands are shovel -ready and development applications and building permits are advanced in a reasonable and timely manner to achieve the Province's goal. 4.12 Clarington welcomes the opportunity to work with the Province, the federal government, and our regional partners to accelerate the supply of affordable, non-profit housing in the communitv. 5. Financial Considerations 5.1 The recommendations of this report indicated additional resources (staff, consulting) will be required in the short term as part of the 2023 budget to address the many implications of Bill 23. 5.2 The impacts of Bill 23 on the Municipality's fiscal planning and sustainability will be severe, although the full extent of the proposed changes to reduce municipal levies and download additional responsibilities to local municipalities cannot yet be completely assessed. 5.3 The proposed changes will transfer the burden of the cost of growth from developers to taxpayers. 6. Concurrence This report has been reviewed by the Deputy CAO/Treasurer and the Deputy CAO/Solicitor who concur with the recommendations. 7. Conclusion 7.1 The purpose of this report is to (i) summarize the Province's changes under Bill 23 (ii) present staff's comments on the changes, and (iii) bring forward recommendations to address potential implications of the legislation for Council's consideration. 7.2 Staff is supportive of achieving efficiencies and reducing unnecessary process, provided the changes do not reduce or compromise the quality of our communities and the housing within them. However, the changes put forward under Bill 23: (i) reduce the cost of development by cutting parkland requirements and development charges that support growth; (ii) reduce duplication in process and policy by removing key public bodies from the planning process; and Municipality of Clarington Report PDS-054-22 Page 15 (iii) reduce review and approvals by eliminating requirements that protect the environment, conserve cultural heritage, and create quality urban design. 7.3 It is important to reiterate that Clarington has sufficient planned and approved capacity to accommodate our forecasted growth to the achieve the expedited housing target for 2031 to address the housing crisis, and beyond to achieve our planned population growth to 2051, without the need for additional Provincial intervention. 7.4 Significant modifications to Bill 23 need to be considered by the Province in order to avoid substantial adverse and long-standing impacts on municipal financial sustainability, natural and cultural heritage conservation, and the quality of our communities. 7.5 Staff will continue to monitor and review the information on this matter as it continues to become available and will report back as necessary, including a strategy for the Municipal Housing Target Pledge. Staff Contact: Sarah Allin, Planner at 905-623-3379 ext. 2419 or sallin@clarington.net or Lisa Backus, Manager of Community Planning Attachments: None Interested Parties: List of Interested Parties available from Department.